Ekip
24 March 2017•Update: 24 March 2017
By Mohammed Dhaysane
MOGADSHU, Somalia
At least two people were killed and five others wounded in a car bomb blast which targeted a busy restaurant near the presidential palace in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Friday.
Mohamed Ali Bulle, a police sergeant in the area, told Anadolu Agency by phone that a vehicle-borne IED exploded in front of Banooda restaurant.
“The wounded people were all civilians who were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment,” Bulle said.
Banooda restaurant is frequented by Somali government forces and is in the heart of the city. It is about 250 meters from the presidential place as well as the country’s national intelligence agency.
Banadir regional municipality officials also confirmed the number of injured to Anadolu Agency.
Five hours earlier another car bomb hit Mogadishu’s Sai-piano neighborhood, killing one person and wounding two others.
No group has yet claimed responsibility but al-Qaeda affiliated organization al-Shabaab has carried out recent operations against Somali government officials.
On Tuesday seven people were killed and over 10 others wounded after a suicide car bomber targeted an army checkpoint in the same area, an attack for which al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.
