At least 32 civilians were killed and 63 injured in an explosion on a popular beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu late yesterday evening, police said, an attack blamed by Somali state media on the militant group al-Shabaab. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab, which has claimed similar attacks in the past, including the car bomb attack in 2022. Police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden said in addition to the civilians killed in the explosion, one of the attackers had blown himself up while three others had been killed by security forces. State news agency SONNA had earlier said five al-Shabaab attackers had been killed by security forces while a sixth had blown himself up during the assault. Al-Shabaab controlled a vast area of Somalia before being pushed back in government counteroffensives since 2022.

Source: Ethiopian News August 03, 2024 11:35 UTC