At least 30 people have been killed in twin bomb attacks claimed by al-Shabaab militants at a busy restaurant in the Somalian city of Baidoa, the regional governor said yesterday.
“The official number of the dead has reached 30 people — all of them civilians — and 61 others have been wounded, 15 of them seriously,” Bay Region Governor Abdurashid Abdulahi told reporters.
An initial car bomb struck a popular restaurant in a busy part of the regional capital on Sunday afternoon, with a suicide bomber nearby hitting people as they fled the area.
“The explosion occurred in a densely populated area,” Baidoa police officer Abdirahman Ibrahim said.
Another police officer, Abdi Hared, said there were “twin blasts” from a car bomb and a suicide bomber.
The explosions shredded the roofs of nearby buildings, tore chunks out of vehicles and left bodies, plastic chairs and tables strewn across the road.
The al-Qaeda aligned al-Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying local officials were targeted.
“The Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen carried out two massive explosions in Baidoa targeting restaurants used by members of the apostate South West Administration,” al-Shabaab said in a statement.
The regional administration in Baidoa is protected by troops of the 22,000-strong African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which is supporting the internationally backed government of Somalia.
African Union Special Representative for Somalia Francisco Caetano Madeira condemned Sunday’s attack.
“I am saddened by the loss of innocent lives through acts of terror committed by ruthless individuals who have no value for life,” he said.
On Friday, al-Shabaab militants stormed a hotel in Mogadishu and bombed a nearby park killing at least 14 people and wounding 18.
On Sunday, leaders and officials from the countries contributing troops to AMISOM met in Djibouti for a summit after the EU announced plans to reduce its funding of the force by 20 percent.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said AMISOM needs more international support to defeat Shebab and strengthen Somalia’s weak government and regional security.
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