The claim of responsibility was made by the group’s spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage in an audio post on pro-al-Shabab websites. Two Turkish brothers were among the dead and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack, the second worst bombing in Somalia’s history. Some analysts had said that al-Shabab would not claim responsibility for the bomb, as it would make the rebels unpopular with Somalis who want peace and stability. Somalia’s worst bombing killed more than 500 people in Mogadishu in October 2017. It is widely suspected that al-Shabab carried out that bombing but did not claim responsibility because of widespread public anger over the carnage.

Source: thestar December 31, 2019 09:33 UTC