Mogadishu: At least 32 people were killed and 63 others were injured after a group of suspected terrorists opened fire on a beach outside a hotel after a massive blast in Somalia’s capital city Mogadishu on Friday evening. Reports claimed that after the explosion, a group of armed men opened fire at the people present at the site on a popular beach in Mogadishu. According to the police, this is the deadliest attack in the country since twin car bombs detonated near a busy market in October 2022, killing 100 people and wounding 300 others.
The Somalia police spokesperson reportedly stated that one soldier was also killed in the attack apart from civilians. A soldier was also wounded in the attack, which began with an explosion and was followed by gunfire.
Al-Qaida Linked Al-Shabaad Claims Responsibility
Following the attack, Al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, al-Shabaab, a militant Islamist group claimed responsibility for the attack through its radio saying that its fighters carried out the attack. Lido Beach, a popular area in Mogadishu, was bustling on Friday nights as Somalis enjoyed their weekend.
The terrorist outfit had earlier claimed similar attacks including the car bomb attack in 2022 as well.
Suicide Terror Attack
According to the police, during the attack, one of the attackers blew himself up while three others were killed by the security forces. The security forces also managed to capture one of the attackers alive. Earlier, state news agency SONNA had stated that as many as five al-Shabaab attackers had been killed by security forces while the sixth had blown himself up during the assault.
An eyewitness and a survivor of the attack, recalled the horrific incident when the explosion shattered the place, where people were dancing and enjoying the evening. A sudden blast left people dead and others injured leading to complete chaos at the spot.
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.
Al Shabaab controlled a vast area of Somalia before being pushed back in government counter-offensives in 2022. However, the militants remain capable of launching significant attacks on government, commercial, and military targets. The Lido Beach area has in the past been targeted by militants allied to al-Shabaab. The most recent attack last year killed nine people.
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