MOGADISHU, Somalia(AA)

Unidentified gunmen shot dead three women, two of whom were pregnant, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Sunday, police said.

In a statement, the law enforcers said the incident took place in the volatile Daynile district, and that further investigations are underway.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but police suspect al-Qaeda affiliated insurgent group al-Shabaab could be behind the attack.

The killings come a day after a suicide car bomb blast targeted a security checkpoint near the federal parliament, killing at least two people and wounding 11 others. Al-Shabaab had claimed responsibility.

There has been a recent rise in attacks as uncertainty over presidential and parliamentary elections remains. The president's term expired last week.