19 June, 2017
A suspected suicide bomber rammed into the entrance of a hotel in the centre of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, police and witnesses said.
A suicide vehicle bombing and assault by Shabaab militants on two neighbouring restaurants in Somalia´s capital Mogadishu ended Thursday morning with 18 dead, a government spokesman said.
The death toll in an overnight attack by al-Shabab terrorists on a popular restaurant in Somalia " s capital has risen to 31, according to local media. Gunmen then entered the Pizza House restaurant next door, seizing hostages. Residents reported gunshots during the night.
Witness Abas Ahmed, who was at another nearby restaurant when the explosion happened, described seeing "the dead bodies of several people and others who were injured".
Bodies of five girls and a Syrian man who worked as a chef were found inside the restaurant, said police. "We and our global partners will take every possible precaution to protect our civilian population from harm during these operations while targeting terrorists", the president said Sunday.
Another 27 civilians were taken to hospital with various injuries, ambulance services said. Five of the attackers were killed in the standoff by security forces.
United States and Somali forces have conducted a joint operation against the Islamist group al-Shabaab, destroying a major training camp and command outpost days after a deadly attack on a military base in northern Somalia. "They were killing people on sight", university student Saida Hussein told the Associated Press.
The Shabab militant group took responsibility for the attack.
The attack was claimed by militant Islamist group al Shabaab.
Meanwhile, security forces have rescued Asian, Ethiopian, Kenyan and other workers at "Posh Treats" as the attack continues.
Al-Shabab vowed to step up attacks after the recently elected government launched a new military offensive against it.
The U.S. carried out airstrikes against the al-Qaida-linked militant group elsewhere in the country on Sunday, killing eight militants, according to military officials.
