A car bomb exploded on Thursday near a hotel and restaurant in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing at least 15 people, rescue services said, in a strike on a busy area that has been targeted by Islamist militants in the past.
The explosion sent a huge cloud of smoke into the sky and destroyed two restaurants and cars parked in the area, officials said.
“So far, 15 people died, including five women. Seventeen others were injured in the blast,” Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Amin Ambulance service, told Reuters. Another witness at the scene said she had seen 18 bodies.
The Islamist group the Shabab claimed responsibility for the bombing through its Radio al-Andalus website. The group, which is linked to Al Qaeda, previously targeted the same location, the Wehliye Hotel, which is along Maka al-Mukaram Road.
A police spokesman, Maj. Mohamed Hussein, told The Associated Press that the explosives-laden vehicle had detonated outside the restaurant.
“The blast destroyed a restaurant and killed many who were inside and outside the restaurant,” the same police captain told Reuters. “The death toll may rise.”
He said dozens of others had been injured in the blast, and that most of the casualties had been among diners at the crowded restaurant.
A Mogadishu resident, Aamina Ali, said she went the scene of the attack to help the victims and that she had seen many bodies and blood everywhere.
“This is unacceptable,” she said. “We are mothers; we lost beautiful souls.”
The Shabab are fighting to topple the Western-backed government protected by African Union forces. The group was ejected from Mogadishu in 2011 and has since been driven from most of its other strongholds.
On Saturday, Shabab gunmen stormed a government building in Mogadishu after a suicide car bombing, and the ensuing gunfight and blast killed at least 15 people, including the country’s deputy labor minister, the police said, Reuters reported.
On Tuesday, a bomb planted in a private luxury car exploded in Mogadishu’s Hodan District, killing the driver and injuring a nearby pedestrian, Col. Ahmed Abdi, a police official, told The A.P.
The United States military has increased the number of deadly airstrikes against the militants since Donald J. Trump took office as president. A number of multinational troops, including African Union force, Somali forces and Kenyan soldiers, are also fighting the Shabab.