Casualties in latest al-Shabaab attack on Mogadishu: security source
Casualties in latest al-Shabaab attack on Mogadishu: security source
An al-Shabaab car bombing left at least ten dead in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, a security source said, in the latest attack on civilians in Ramadan.
2 min read
The militant group regularly launches attacks on civilians and security forces [Getty]
At least 10 people were killed when Shabaab Islamists drove an explosives-laden minibus into local government offices in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, according to the security ministry.
The minibus was rammed through a security barrier outside offices in the southern district of Wadajir, injuring nine people including the district's top government official.
"More than 10 people died in the blast which was carried out by the Shabaab group and nine others are wounded," said security ministry spokesman Ahmed Mohamud Mohamed.
Most of the dead were civilians, he said.
"Security guards tried to stop (the minibus) but it managed to get in and the vehicle blew up," a local security official called Omar Adan told AFP.
Another security official, Abdi Jilibey, said that more than 18 people were injured and some of the bodies were so badly burnt as to be unrecognisable.
The attack was claimed by al-Shabaab militants in a statement carried by the SITE intelligence agency and it the latest in a string to hit civilians during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
On Thursday, militants targeted a restaurant complex in Mogadishu, killing nineteen civilians and five guards.
A suicide car bomb tore through the popular Pizza House and Posh Treats restaurants in the Somali capital, before militants began a killing spree which only ended after a prolonged gunfight with security forces lasting well into the early hours of the morning.
Six attackers - one suicide bomber and five gunmen - were involved in the raid on the up-market area of Mogadishu which is popular with young and diaspora Somalis and some foreigners.
"[They] attacked business places and killed innocent civilians: 18 civilians were killed, including a Syrian national, and more than 10 others were wounded," Ahmed Arab said.
Al-Shabab regularly launches attacks on Somali military, government and civilian targets with bombings and shootings.
The US have launched a number of airstrikes and special forces raids on al-Shabab headquarters in the country.
More In News
