Several people are feared dead or injured following a powerful explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, on Saturday.
A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, informed Anadolu that the blast is suspected to be a suicide bombing aimed at a busy restaurant near the National Theater.
“We know there are casualties, but the exact number remains unclear,” the official stated.
This area is frequently visited by high-profile government and security officials, with the Somali presidential palace situated nearby.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organization, has conducted similar attacks in the region, including one in recent weeks.
In July, several people were killed in a powerful car bomb blast late Sunday, July 14, at a cafe in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu that was packed with football fans watching the Euro 2024 final.
“Nine civilians were killed and 20 others wounded in the explosion,” Mohamed Yusuf, an official from the national security agency said.
“There were many people inside the restaurant, most of them youth who were watching the football match… but thanks to God, most of them made their way out safely after using ladders to climb up and jump over the backside perimeter wall,” he said.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has pledged an “all-out” war against jihadists, with government forces collaborating with local clan militias in a military campaign supported by an African Union contingent and US airstrikes. However, the offensive has faced challenges, as Al-Shabaab claimed earlier this year to have captured multiple locations in central Somalia.
Despite being driven out of Mogadishu by AU forces in 2011, Al-Shabaab maintains a strong presence in rural areas of the country.
Last month, Somalia urged the African Union to delay the planned withdrawal of its forces from the country. UN resolutions called for the reduction of troop numbers in the AU peacekeeping mission, known as ATMIS, to zero by December 31, with security responsibilities transferred to the Somali army and police.
The third phase of this withdrawal was set to see 4,000 soldiers depart from a total of 13,500 ATMIS troops by the end of June. However, the Somali government requested that only 2,000 troops leave in June, with the remaining 2,000 scheduled for this month.
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