News / Somalia

Car bomb blast kills three in Mogadishu

Saturday, 09 April 2016 4:05 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 09 April 2016 4:04 PM ]

Somali soldiers and investigators work at the site of an explosion outside a restaurant in Mogadishu on April 9, 2016. © AFP

At least three civilians, including a child, have lost their lives in a car bomb explosion in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, officials and witnesses say.

The deadly incident took place on Saturday when an explosive-laden car parked outside a restaurant exploded in the Beyhani district of the capital.

Abdifatah Halane, a spokesman for the Banadir Province which includes the capital, said the blast also injured five other civilians.

"The explosion was enormous... I saw several corpses, including one of a child," said one witness, Farhan Mohamed.

Reports say the restaurant, which is in the northern part of Mogadishu, was regularly used by Somali security forces, although it was unclear if any were there at the time.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Somali government blames such incidents on the al-Shabab terrorist group.

Last month, al-Shabab militants attacked an army base near Mogadishu, claiming to have killed at least 73 soldiers.

The militants said the government forces were killed in the attack, which targeted the Lanta-Buro military camp 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Mogadishu.

Somali soldiers patrol near the scene of an explosion outside a restaurant in Mogadishu on April 9, 2016. © AFP

Somalia has been the scene of deadly clashes between government forces and al-Shabab militants since 2006.

The Takfiri terrorists have been pushed out of Mogadishu and other major cities by government forces and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), which is largely made up of troops from Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Kenya.

Al-Shabab members have, however, continued to carry out attacks in Mogadishu despite being driven out from their bases in the seaside city in 2011.

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