[ad_1]
Monday, July 15, 2024
Mogadishu has been repeatedly targeted by al-Shabaab militants. Image source: Other
MOGADISHU (HOL) – The al-Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a cafe in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday that killed nine people and injured 20 others.
The militant group claimed through its media wing that it was targeting a location near Villa Somalia where government officials and intelligence operatives were located.
But Somali police confirmed that the suicide car bomb attack took place outside Top Coffee as customers were watching the European Cup final between Spain and England. The blast caused significant property damage, mainly to customers’ vehicles.
Mohammad Yusuf, a National Security Agency official, said the blast killed nine civilians and injured 20. “There were many people in the restaurant, mostly young people watching a football match… but thank God, most people used the ladders to climb up and jump over the wall at the back to escape safely,” he said.
Top Coffee is located in a heavily guarded area, close to major government buildings such as the presidential palace, parliament and the National Intelligence Headquarters. There are security checkpoints on all roads leading to the area.
Although the group claimed to have killed government officials and intelligence agents, police and witnesses confirmed that no government officials or security personnel were among the dead in the attack.
[ad_2]
Source link
