Huge blast in Somali capital, clouds of smoke seen

According to police source, a vehicle bomb linked to Al Shabaab terrorist group has killed five military men outside the president’s palace at Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital and seriously destroyed two nearby hotels. Officials believe the militants targeted the SYL hotel which frequented by government officials.

“Security forces tried to stop the bomber who used back roads before he sped through checkpoints near the presidential palace and detonated the bomb”, said Col. Ali Nur, a police officer.

As said by Colonel Bishar, at least seven people were put to death at the time of attack, including five civilians and two security guards.

Witnesses describe hearing a loud explosion in Somalia’s capital, and huge clouds of smoke could be seen as a suicide auto bomb went off.

The al-Shabab terror group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack via radio Andalus, which is linked to the organization.

The explosion was heard across Mogadishu, and smoke was seen billowing over the presidential compound. REUTERS/Feisal OmarCivilians assist a woman wounded following a auto bomb claimed by al Shabaab Islamist militants outside the president’s palace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, August 30, 2016.

Al Shabaab’s Radio known as Andaluz reported that the group was the mastermind of the explosion.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for several recent explosions in Mogadishu, including a auto bomb and gun attack last week at a popular beach restaurant in the capital that killed 10 people.

Two local journalists for the Mogadishu-based Goobjoog News were also wounded in the attack. Two weeks before that, extremist gunmen killed 15, including two members of parliament, at the Ambassador hotel.