By Dawan Africa - Reporter
Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-At least three people, including a journalist were killed and four others injured on Monday evening after suicide bomber detonated himself when people were taking tea outside Blue Sky Restaurant, around Hawa-Taako statue in Mogadishu's Bondhere district, the capital of Somalia.
The Somali Police said in a statement that the suicide bomber set off his explosives close to the base, where hundreds of Somali civilians were taking tea.
Al-Shabaab immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and said it targeted army officers at a key checkpoint near the State House.
“Tonight, October 16, 2023, around 9:00 PM, a suicide bomber from Al-Shabaab terrorist group detonated himself among people taking tea outside the Blue Sky Restaurant in the Bondhere District, particularly around the Hawa-Taako statue in Mogadishu,” read the police statement.
Among those who died is a renowned journalist Abdifitah Maalin Nur (Qeys) who was serving as the Executive Director for Somali Cable Television.
“The explosion caused damages including four injuries and the death of journalist Abdifitah Maalin Nur, the Director of Somali Cable TV in Mogadishu,” the statement added.
For the past two months, Al-Shabaab has resorted to conducting attacks on military bases, attacking security forces, and suicide bombings targeted at crowded civilian targets, such as markets and checkpoints, killing over a hundred soldiers and civilians.
Three weeks ago, At least six people, including three soldiers, were killed, and 10 others were injured in a suicide car bomb attack in the Bula-burte district in Hiiraan region, which was later claimed by Al-Shabaab.
Prior, the terrorists group carried out a deadly truck bomb attack in Beledweyne, killing more than 40 people and injuring at least 55 others.
The war between the Somali Government and the Al-Shabaab group has intensified since the re-election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in May 2022.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a “total war” against Al-Shabaab last year. Since then, government forces, together with the local community and international partners, have liberated more than 80 locations from the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.
