A military helicopter from the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at the airport in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday and was engulfed in flames, the state-run SONNA news outlet reported.

The helicopter from the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) was carrying eight personnel when it crashed during landing, SONNA said on its X account, adding that the fire had been contained.

It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties. An AUSSOM spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.

"We heard the blast and saw smoke and flames over a helicopter," Farah Abdulle, who works at the airport, told Reuters. "The smoke entirely covered the helicopter."

AUSSOM has more than 11,000 personnel in Somalia to help the country's military counter Islamist group al Shabaab.

The al Qaeda affiliate has been fighting for nearly two decades to topple Somalia's internationally-recognised government and establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of sharia law.

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