al-Shabaab claims responsibility for deadly attack in Mogadishu

At least 10 people have been killed in an overnight battle in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu that began with a car bombing by the al-Shabaab jihadist group. The fighting is still ongoing, more than 16 hours after the attack began.

It took place in a business centre in Maka Al Mukaram street which has hotels, shops and restaurants, Police Major Mohamed Hussein told Reuters. Cars in the street were set ablaze.

Arab News reports that Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

France 24 reports that one Shabaab fighter blew himself up in the car bomb late on Thursday, a huge blast that ripped the front off a major hotel and sparked a fireball blaze igniting several cars on the busy street. Other fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked group stormed inside a building housing a restaurant, where they were ringed by police.

“Over ten people died. A hotel is burning and other buildings were ruined by the blast. Twenty injured people were carried out. We believe more dead bodies are in the ruined buildings,” Police Major Abdullahi Ali said.

Via France 24 and Arab News