Two bomb blasts in Somalia’s capital carried out by an
al-Qaeda-linked militant group left at least 20 people dead, including two
members of parliament and the deputy mayor of Mogadishu.
A car bomb exploded on Friday at the Central Hotel in
Mogadishu and then a suicide-bomber came into the compound and detonated his
explosives, police captain Mohamed Aloley said in an interview at the scene.
Mohamed Aden, another police officer, said by phone that at least 20 people
have been confirmed dead, and more than 30 injured.
Somalia-based Islamist militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility
for the attack, according to a statement published on the website of
pro-al-Shabaab Radio Andalus.
The explosion shook the surrounding neighborhood, Abdirisaq
Ali, a police officer who witnessed the attack, said in an interview. The two
Somali officials confirmed dead are Mohamed Aden Guled, a deputy mayor of
Mogadishu, and lawmaker Omar Furdug, Aloley said.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud condemned the
assault and vowed to keep making every effort to wipe out the rebels.
Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir Mareye described the attacks in a phone
interview as among the most vicious in recent years.
Al-Shabaab has waged an insurgency in the Horn of Africa
nation since 2006 in a bid to impose Shariah, or Islamic law. African
peacekeepers have joined government forces to stabilize the country, sparking
revenge attacks by al-Shabaab outside Somalia’s borders, including in
neighboring Kenya where its fighters raided the Westgate mall in Nairobi in
2013, leaving at least 67 people dead.
While the group has lost ground since being driven out of
Mogadishu in 2011, it continues to stage deadly gun and bomb attacks in
Somalia.
No comments:
Post a Comment