Somalia attack leaves 9 dead, 20 wounded at cafe screening Euro final
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A national security agency official confirms that most of the customers were young people watching the final match of the Euro cup, while many bodies remain unrecovered.
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An image of the fire from the cafe in Somalia (X/FaytuksNetwork)
Security sources informed AFP that nine people have died as a result of an explosion at a cafe in the capital city of Mogadishu, Somalia, when a car bomb went off near a gathering of football fans watching the Euro 2024 final.
Mohamed Yusuf, an official from the national security agency, confirmed, "Nine civilians were killed and 20 others wounded in the explosion," adding, "There were many people inside the restaurant, most of them youth who were watching the football match... but thanks to God, most of them made their way out safely after using ladders to climb up and jump over the backside perimeter wall."
Online photos captured the massive fireball and smoke plumes rising into the sky as the explosion tore through the well-known restaurant in the city center on Sunday.
#BREAKING #Somalia Mogadishu, Somalia - A suicide bomber detonated near a cafe in the city center during a football match gathering, resulting in numerous casualties. pic.twitter.com/APiTgfokf0
— The National Independent (@NationalIndNews) July 14, 2024
A few minutes after the explosion, police officer Mohamed Salad rushed to the scene and informed AFP that multiple dead citizens were found beneath the rubble, noting, "Five people died outside the building and on the main road including drivers of vehicles that were passing by the area."
"Four people died inside the restaurant, some of them removed from under the debris," he added.
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While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, Somalia has been plagued by attacks for the past few years by the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
They have been waging an insurgency against the internationally backed federal government for more than 16 years and have often targeted hotels, which tend to host high-ranking Somali and foreign officials.
Back in March, they attacked a popular hotel near the presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, as confirmed by security sources and witnesses.
Back in July of last year, at least 30 Somali soldiers were killed and dozens were wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a military academy in the country's capital Mogadishu on July 22, 2023, Reuters reported, citing army officers. The terrorist Al-Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack.
