30 people died in a car bomb attack in the Somali capital Mogadishu
Members of the Somali government and extremist group Al-Shabaab continued to exchange fire in the capital city of Mogadishu on March 1st, while the number of deaths caused by car bomb attacks and subsequent exchanges of the previous night increased to 36.
The "Youth Party" armed men lit a car outside a hotel in the center of Mogadishu on the evening of February 28, triggering an explosion of explosives inside the car and igniting a number of nearby cars. The “Youth Party” personnel then moved to a nearby building and fired at government soldiers who tried to enter the hotel. After that, an explosion occurred about 1 km from the hotel.
Police Moussa Ali told Reuters on the morning of March 1st: "Armed personnel are hiding in a civilian building next to it... fighting with grenades and pistols." Ali said that the vast majority of people killed in the attacks and subsequent exchanges of fire were civilians and another 80 were injured.
After the rescuers evacuated two injured soldiers from the hotel, the Somali government sent a US-trained force on March 1 to try to disperse the "Youth Party" armed personnel. A spokesman for the "Youth Party" claimed on the same day that they still controlled the hotel and repelled the government's three attacks.
Abdikadir Adem, director of an agency that provides relief services in Mogadishu, said that in Somalia, bomb attacks against hotels usually take place at night. Rescuers lacked lighting and were difficult to rescue. "The horror of the scene is as strong as the explosion that occurred on October 14th (2017)."
Adem pointed out that a car bomb exploded on October 14, 2017 at a crossroad near the government building in Mogadishu, killing at least 358 people and injuring hundreds.
The "Al-Shabaab" affiliated to Somalia has been involved in terrorist attacks in Somalia and its neighboring countries in recent years
The "Youth Party" armed men lit a car outside a hotel in the center of Mogadishu on the evening of February 28, triggering an explosion of explosives inside the car and igniting a number of nearby cars. The “Youth Party” personnel then moved to a nearby building and fired at government soldiers who tried to enter the hotel. After that, an explosion occurred about 1 km from the hotel.
Police Moussa Ali told Reuters on the morning of March 1st: "Armed personnel are hiding in a civilian building next to it... fighting with grenades and pistols." Ali said that the vast majority of people killed in the attacks and subsequent exchanges of fire were civilians and another 80 were injured.
After the rescuers evacuated two injured soldiers from the hotel, the Somali government sent a US-trained force on March 1 to try to disperse the "Youth Party" armed personnel. A spokesman for the "Youth Party" claimed on the same day that they still controlled the hotel and repelled the government's three attacks.
Abdikadir Adem, director of an agency that provides relief services in Mogadishu, said that in Somalia, bomb attacks against hotels usually take place at night. Rescuers lacked lighting and were difficult to rescue. "The horror of the scene is as strong as the explosion that occurred on October 14th (2017)."
Adem pointed out that a car bomb exploded on October 14, 2017 at a crossroad near the government building in Mogadishu, killing at least 358 people and injuring hundreds.
The "Al-Shabaab" affiliated to Somalia has been involved in terrorist attacks in Somalia and its neighboring countries in recent years
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