Oct. 28 (UPI) — Twin car bombs exploded outside a hotel in Mogadishu, killing at least 10 people in Somalia’s capital Saturday, local officials said.
The fatalities included a police commander and a former government minister, local reporter Harun Maruf wrote, according to Sky News.
A suicide car bomb first detonated after being rammed into the gates of Hotel Nasa Hablod Two, which is close to the presidential palace. Then a bomb exploded nearby.
Aamin Ambulance posted on Twitter it had transferred 15 people to hospitals and there were “many dead bodies.”
The hotel and a local restaurant, which are frequentted by Somalia’s politicians and civil servants, were being evacuated.
The extremist group al-Shabab, which has been linked to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the bombings through a channel on Telegram. It noted its fighters were inside the hotel.
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed requested support against the group during his visits to countries in east Africa.
On Oct. 14, more than 300 people were killed and another 300 injured in a truck bombing in the city. No one has claimed responsibility for that attack.
