Dozens slain in 2 explosions in Somalia capital
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Two car bombs exploded Saturday at a busy intersection in Somalia’s capital near key government offices, causing “scores of civilian casualties” including children, national police said. One hospital worker counted at least 30 bodies amid fears of many more.
The attack in Mogadishu occurred on a day when the president, prime minister and other senior officials were meeting to discuss expanded efforts to combat violent extremism, especially by the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab group that often targets the capital. It also came five years after another massive blast in the exact same location killed over 500 people.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Al-Shabab rarely claims attacks with large numbers of civilians killed, as in the 2017 blast. But President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud blamed al-Shabab by name, calling the attack “cruel and cowardly.”
At the hospital and elsewhere, frantic relatives peeked under plastic sheeting and into body bags, looking for loved ones.
The Aamin ambulance service said it had collected at least 35 wounded. One ambulance responding to the first attack was destroyed by the second blast, director Abdulkadir Adan said in a tweet.
An Associated Press journalist at the scene said the second blast occurred in front of a busy restaurant during lunchtime. The blasts demolished moto-taxis and other vehicles in an area of many restaurants and hotels.
Somalia’s government has been engaged in a highprofile new offensive against the extremist group that the U.S. has described as one of al-Qaida’s deadliest organizations. The president has described it as “total war” against the extremists.