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Two car bombs exploded at a busy intersection near the main government office in the Somali capital on Saturday, killing “dozens of civilians”, including children, the national police said. A hospital worker counted at least 30 bodies, fearing there could be more.
The attack in Mogadishu came on a day when the president, prime minister and other senior officials met to discuss expanding the fight against violent extremism, particularly al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab, which often targets the capital. Five years ago, another massive explosion at the same location killed more than 500 people.
No responsibility was immediately claimed. Al-Shabaab seldom claims attacks that killed large numbers of civilians, such as the 2017 bombings. But President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed singled out al-Shabaab, calling the attack “brutal and cowardly”.
“Among the at least 30 deceased people who were taken to the hospital, the majority were women. I saw this with my own eyes,” said Hassan Osman, a volunteer at the Medina hospital. In the hospital and elsewhere , Crazy relatives peeked from under the plastic sheet, into the body bag, looking for their loved ones.
Aamin Ambulance Service said they had collected at least 35 injured people. Director Abdulkadir Adan added in a tweet that an ambulance responding to the first attack was destroyed by the second blast.
“I was 100 meters away when the second explosion happened,” said witness Abdirazak Hassan. “I can’t count the bodies on the ground because of the (number of) deaths.” He said the first explosion hit the Ministry of Education’s fence, where street vendors and money changers are located.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the second explosion occurred in front of a busy restaurant at lunchtime. The explosion destroyed many tuk-tuks and other vehicles in the restaurant and hotel area. He saw “many” bodies and said they appeared to be civilians on public transport.
The Somali journalist Syndicate, citing colleagues and police, said a journalist was killed and two others were injured in the second blast as they rushed to the site of the first blast.
The attack took place at the Zobe junction, the site of a massive explosion of an al-Shabaab truck in 2017 that killed more than 500 people.
The Somali government has been launching a high-profile new offensive against the extremist group, which the United States describes as one of al Qaeda’s deadliest groups. The president has described it as an “all-out war” against extremists who control much of central and southern Somalia and have been the target of U.S. airstrikes in recent years.
The extremists responded by killing prominent clan leaders in an apparent attempt to dissuade support for the government offensive.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said the attack would not dampen a public uprising against al-Shabaab, as he and the president expressed the government’s determination to eliminate the extremist group.
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