MOGADISHU, Somalia —

       A large explosion outside the international airport in Somalia’s capital killed at least eight people and wounded nine others Wednesday, a local doctor said.

       Dr. Abdulkadir Adam of the Medina hospital shared the toll with the Associated Press. Witnesses at the scene said a passing United Nations convoy appeared to be the target near a checkpoint leading to the heavily fortified airport in Mogadishu.

       The founder of the Aamin ambulance service, Abdulkadir Adan, tweeted that he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries” in Mogadishu. He posted a photo from the scene of a mangled vehicle.

       The Al Qaeda-linked Shabab extremist group that controls parts of Somalia often carries out bombings at high-profile locations in the capital.