Two truck bombs detonated in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Saturday, killing at least 230 people and wounding hundreds more. Reports indicate that the Somali government believes al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab is responsible.

The United States has condemned the attack, calling it “cowardly,” and has vowed to continue to fight the “scourge of terrorism.”

The BBC reports:

A massive bomb attack in a busy area of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday is now known to have killed at least 230 people, police say. Hundreds more were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives detonated near the entrance of a hotel. It is the deadliest terror attack in Somalia since the Islamist al-Shabab group launched its insurgency in 2007. It is not clear who staged the bombing, but Mogadishu is a target for al-Shabab militants battling the government. President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” Mohamed has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the blast. Local media reported families gathering in the area on Sunday morning, looking for missing loved ones amid the ruins of one of the largest bombs ever to strike the city. Police official Ibrahim Mohamed told AFP news agency the death toll is likely to rise. “There are more than 300 wounded, some of them seriously,” he said. Officials also confirmed that two people were killed in a second bomb attack in the Madina district of the city.

Death toll in Somalia blast rises well above 200 people. One doctor says it's unlike anything he's seen before. https://t.co/WdLzLnCzk9 — The Associated Press (@AP) October 15, 2017

Photos from the scene. In our 10 year experience as the first responder in #Mogadishu, we haven't seen anything like this. pic.twitter.com/cNxeDD86u6 — Aamin Ambulance (@AaminAmbulance) October 15, 2017

#Mogadishu explosion: Mogadishu mayor @ThabitMhd broke down in tears during a press conference in hospital. 230+ killed & 300 wounded. pic.twitter.com/oZ8htY0FM4 — Somalia Live Update (@HassanIstiila) October 15, 2017

#Somali president declares 3 days of mourning after blast. "I call on our citizens to come out, extend help, donate blood" President said. pic.twitter.com/PfxFSPFVL0 — Somalia Live Update (@HassanIstiila) October 15, 2017

The U. S. has condemned the attack and vowed to continue the fight against terrorism.

Fox News reports:

The death toll has risen to 231, with more than 275 people injured, after a truck bomb in Somalia that the U.S. government condemned Sunday as a “cowardly” attack. “Such cowardly attacks reinvigorate the commitment of the United States to assist our Somali and African Union partners to combat the scourge of terrorism,” the U.S. mission to Somalia said in a statement. The U.S. military this year has stepped up drone strikes and other efforts this year against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, which is based in Somalia and often targets Mogadishu, the capital. None of the roughly 400 U.S. troops in Somalia were hurt in the attack, a spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command told Fox News. . . . . Somalia’s government has blamed the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group for the attack it called a “national disaster.” However, al-Shabab, which often targets high-profile areas of the capital with bombings, had yet to comment. “They don’t care about the lives of Somali people, mothers, fathers and children,” Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said. “They have targeted the most populated area in Mogadishu, killing only civilians.” Somalia’s information minister, Abdirahman Omar, said the blast was the largest the city had ever seen. “It’s a sad day. This how merciless and brutal they are, and we have to unite against them,” he said, speaking to the state-run radio station.

Watch the report:



