Seven killed in suicide bombing in Somalia

Seven killed in suicide bombing in Somalia
Somalia police patrol near the scene of a suicide bomber attack at a cafe, in Mogadishu, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP)

MOGADISHU — At least seven people died and six were wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a restaurant in Somalia’s capital on Thursday, local police said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear who had carried out the attacks, although Islamist militant group Al-Shabab frequently orchestrates bombings and gun attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the fragile Horn of Africa nation.

The restaurant, which was located opposite a police training station, was frequented by officers, according to a security source.

“My cousin and four of his colleagues died in the blast. We are rushing to the scene to take his body,” Hassan Osman, a relative of one of the victims, told Reuters.

The Al-Qaeda affiliate frequently attacks military outposts and state targets as part of a mission to overturn Somalia’s government and establish its own rule.

AN-REUTERS, Oct 17, 2024