MOGADISHU — At least 20 people died on Sunday when a car bomb exploded in the Somali capital, as Shabaab Islamists threatened to escalate attacks in a "vicious war" against the new government. The president, via Twitter, described the attack as "horrific" and shared pictures of himself visiting victims in hospital. Local media also reported he had offered a $100,000 reward for information on who carried out the attack. AU troops drove Shabaab militants out of Mogadishu in August 2011 but the fighters continue to control rural areas and launch repeated attacks in the capital. "I need the Somali public to understand how much the government is in need of their support.

Source: Viet Nam News February 19, 2017 21:22 UTC