Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, (ADV) – As expected, the death toll from a twin bomb blast in the Somali capital has hit 20 up from six initially sources said Sunda
Sources speculate the casualties could still climb as many were seriously wounded and being treated in hospital.
Police confirmed the casualty early Sunday after they announced a seventh casualty late Saturday adding that over 40 were injured.
Shortly after the bombing which occurred close to the presidential palace, the authors remained anonymous until later when police confirmed the catastrophe was carried by the jihadist Shabaab group.
Somali police has also confirmed that civilians were among the casualties but without specifying the number of soldiers and civilians killed even though a Somali journalist has been confirmed death as well in the incident.
The international community has since been condemning the incident while Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed described it as “cowardly attacks”.
Local media quoted an Al-Shabaab statement on Saturday saying that the Islamist group’s “martyrdom operation” had targeted “a security checkpoint that used to protect the presidential palace”.
Early this month, a joint United States and Somali military operation backed by drones attacked and killed an estimated 61 terror group fighters who are figthing to topple the internationally-backed government.
It was on 14 October 2017 that bloodiest attack ever by the Islamist group took place in the Somali capital 512 people.
Last week, the United States returned to the war-battered country with the reopening of its embassy after it several marines were killed and the US embasy shut down in 1991 and relocated to Nairobi.
© Bur-csa – N.W / From our regional correspondent Tamba Jean-Matthew III – African Daily Voice (ADV) – Follow us on Twitter : @ADVinfo_eng
