MOGADISHU, Somalia — A roadside bomb exploded Tuesday near Somalia’s presidential palace and the government said the attack by a militant group targeted the president’s convoy.

The Information Ministry in a statement called the attack in the capital Mogadishu a “cowardly act of desperation” by the militant group al-Shabab, which claimed responsibility. The statement did not provide an official death toll but a witness said he counted three bodies at the scene.

The president was unharmed.

Al-Shabab, which opposes Somalia’s federal government, frequently carries out bombings and assaults targeting government officials and military personnel in the Horn of Africa nation. The group controls parts of rural Somalia and poses a significant threat despite sustained military operations by government troops and African Union peacekeepers.

Tuesday’s explosion happened near the presidential palace right after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was driven out of the palace grounds in a convoy heading to the main airport.

The president was headed to Middle Shabelle in southern Somalia to oversee military operations against al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack through a website allied to the militant group.

A witness, Ayub Osman, said he saw “three people lying on the ground, motionless, covered in dust and debris.” Another witness, Hassan Nur, who lives nearby said he saw two bodies.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack targeting the president’s convoy that killed and injured other people and reaffirmed the U.N.’s support to Somalia’s people and government “in their fight against terrorism and in furthering efforts towards peace and stability,” U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

The British Embassy in Mogadishu condemned the attack and reaffirmed support for Somalia’s counterterrorism efforts.

“The UK remains a steadfast partner of the Somali government as they fight the violent extremists responsible for this despicable attack,” the embassy said in a statement.

The Somali government has intensified its military campaign against al-Shabab in recent months, with troops making territorial gains in Middle Shabelle and other regions.