A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at a bustling restaurant in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, resulting in the deaths of at least five individuals and injuries sustained by six others, as stated by Sadik Aden Ali Doodishe, the spokesman for the Somali police.
This horrific incident occurred in close proximity to Somalia’s presidential palace. Witnesses who were in contact with Dalsan Tv described the scene as one with numerous civilian casualties and a significant police presence.
This attack was claimed by the al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist organization known as al-Shabaab, marking the third assault within a 24-hour timeframe. Prior to this, a double car bombing in the central state of Galmudug had left multiple security personnel wounded.
The same terrorist group claimed responsibility for this twin bombing, asserting that it had specifically targeted the regional presidential palace where Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud resides.
The group boasted that their actions resulted in the deaths of 16 soldiers, with an additional 14 individuals sustaining injuries. This recent suicide bombing occurred only six days after a truck bomb in Beledweyne town caused the tragic loss of 18 lives, including 10 security personnel, and left 40 others wounded.
The instability that has plagued Somalia for years is primarily attributed to the threats posed by al-Shabaab and the terror groups Daesh/ISIS. Since 2007, the al-Shabaab organization has been engaged in a conflict against both the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which is a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the United Nations Security Council. Al-Shabaab has escalated its attacks since the Somali president, who was reelected for a second term last year, declared an “all-out war” against the organization.
