Somalia Blast

Police in Somalia said Saturday that 32 people died and 63 others were wounded in an attack on a beach hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, the previous evening. Police spokesperson Maj. Abdifatah Adan Hassa, told journalists that one soldier was killed in the attack and that the rest were civilians. Another soldier was also wounded in the attack, Hassan said. Witnesses reported an explosion followed by gunfire. Al-Qaida's East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab, said through its radio that its fighters carried out the attack. Lido Beach, a popular area in Mogadishu, is bustling on Friday nights as Somalis enjoy their weekend. A witness, Mohamud Moalim, told The Associated Press that he saw an attacker wearing an explosive vest moments before the man blew himself up next to the beach-view hotel. Moalim said some of his friends who were with him at the hotel were killed and others were wounded. Another witness, Abdisalam Adam, told AP that he saw many people lying on the ground and had help

Police in Somalia say two suicide car bombers killed at least 10 people early Wednesday when they targeted a military facility in a region at the heart of the government's offensive against al-Shabab extremists. The attack occurred in the Mahaas district of Hiran region after the dawn prayer. It was loud and heard all across the town, resident Osman Abdullahi told The Associated Press. I have rescued several people wounded in the attack, including soldiers and journalists who were embedded with soldiers. Police official Mahad Abdulle told the AP the vehicles exploded in a neighbourhood full of civilians and that at least 10 people were killed. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. Mahaas is at the centre of the ongoing government offensive against al-Shabab, the al-Qaida-linked group of thousands of fighters that has controlled parts of central and southern Somalia for years. The government has vowed to defeat it this year. The Somali army, together with local militias,

Two car bombs exploded Saturday at a busy junction in Somalia's capital near key government offices, leaving scores of civilian casualties, police told state media. The attack came five years after a massive blast at the same location. The Somalia National News Agency cited national police spokesman Sadiq Dodishe on the toll. The attack in Mogadishu occurred on a day when the president, prime minister and other senior officials were meeting to discuss combating violent extremism, especially by the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab group that often targets the capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. An Associated Press journalist at the scene saw many bodies and said they appeared to be civilians traveling on public transport. He said the second blast occurred in front of a busy restaurant. Images from the scene showed crushed tuk-tuks and other vehicles. The director of the Aamin ambulance service told the AP they had collected many wounded or killed. One of the ...

The blast occurred at a busy intersection southwest of the Somali capital where traffic is heavy because of a security checkpoint and a tax office

More than 288 people have been injured

Somalia Government has blamed the al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabaab extremist group for the attack

Somalia's government has blamed the al-Qaida-linked al- Shabab extremist group for the attack