Three killed in Somalia restaurant blast

Three people were killed on Saturday after an explosion ripped through a restaurant in the Somali capital, as violence continues to ravage the East African country.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

08 January, 2017

Al-Shabaab has stepped up their campaign of violence to disrupt upcoming elections [Anadolu]

Three people were killed and more than 16 others were injured on Saturday after an explosion ripped through a restaurant in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, authorities said.

Police Captain Mohamed Hussein said the bomb was concealed in the restaurant often frequented by government soldiers in Hodan district.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but suspicion centred on the extremist al-Shabaab group, which has waged an insurgency against Somalia's fledgling government.

Al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda's East African affiliate, is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government of Somalia and regularly stages deadly attacks on government, military and civilian targets in the capital and elsewhere in the war-torn country despite losing territory in recent years.

A surge in attacks could further delay Somalia's presidential election, which has been postponed several times due to security problems and the flawed selection of members of parliament who elect the president.

Twin suicide car bombs hit Mogadishu's fortified airport and a nearby hotel on Monday, wounding nine people.

The bombings were claimed by al-Shabaab, and is believed to be part of the group’s campaign to disrupt upcoming elections, which they oppose.