Somalia bomb attack kills at least 85 or more

[tyroneweaver]

Somalia's deadliest-ever attack kills 276, says Somali Minister


Mormons?
Amish?
RW Chrisrians?

 

[EvilCat Breath]

Straight white men.

 

[waltky]

Truck bomb in Mogadishu kills 231...

Death Toll From Truck Explosion in Somalia Rises to 231
October 14, 2017 — The death toll from the most powerful bomb blast witnessed in Somalia’s capital rose to 231 with more than 275 injured, making it the deadliest single attack ever in this Horn of Africa nation, a senator said Sunday.

Abshir Abdi Ahmed cited doctors at hospitals he had visited in Mogadishu. Many of the bodies in mortuaries had not yet been identified, he said. Officials feared the toll would continue to climb from Saturday’s truck bomb that targeted a busy street near key ministries. Doctors struggled to assist horrifically wounded victims, many burned beyond recognition. “The hospital is overwhelmed by both dead and wounded,” said Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, the director of Medina hospital. “This is really horrendous, unlike any other time in the past.” Ambulance sirens echoed across the city as bewildered families wandered in the rubble of buildings, looking for missing relatives. “In our 10 year experience as the first responder in #Mogadishu, we haven’t seen anything like this,” the Aamin Ambulance service tweeted.

Grief overwhelmed many. “There’s nothing I can say. We have lost everything,” wept Zainab Sharif, a mother of four who lost her husband. She sat outside a hospital where he was pronounced dead after hours of efforts by doctors to save him. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared three days of mourning and joined thousands of people who responded to a desperate plea by hospitals to donate blood. “I am appealing all Somali people to come forward and donate,” he said. Angry protesters gathered near the scene of the attack as Somalia’s government blamed the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group for what 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.”

The blast in Somalia's capital also injured more than 275​

Rescue workers searched for survivors trapped under the rubble of the largely destroyed Safari Hotel, which is close to Somalia’s foreign ministry. The explosion blew off metal gates and blast walls erected outside the hotel. The United States condemned the bombing, saying “such cowardly attacks reinvigorate the commitment of the United States to assist our Somali and African Union partners to combat the scourge of terrorism.” But the U.S. Africa Command said U.S. forces had not been asked to provide aid. A spokesman told The Associated Press that first responders and local enforcement would handle the response and “the U.S. would offer assistance if and when a request was made.”

The U.S. military has stepped up drone strikes and other efforts this year against al-Shabab, which is also fighting the Somali military and over 20,000 African Union forces in the country. The United Nations special envoy to Somalia called the attack “revolting,” saying an unprecedented number of civilians had been killed. Michael Keating said the U.N. and African Union were supporting the Somali government’s response with “logistical support, medical supplies and expertise.” Saturday’s blast occurred two days after the head of the U.S. Africa Command was in Mogadishu to meet with Somalia’s president, and two days after the country’s defense minister and army chief resigned for undisclosed reasons.

Death Toll From Truck Explosion in Somalia Rises to 231

 

[waltky]

Death Toll Tops 300 From Mogadishu Blast...

Death Toll Tops 300 From Mogadishu Blast
October 16, 2017 - The death toll in the Somali capital Mogadishu has topped 300 as rescue teams continue to search for survivors from a massive explosion blamed on Islamist militants.

Dr. Abdulkadir Adam, head of Mogadishu ambulance services, tells VOA Somali that 302 people are confirmed dead from the blast, which struck a busy intersection in the Somali capital late Saturday. The government says 429 injured people have been taken to local hospitals, and that the death toll is likely to rise. More than 30 badly wounded patients were flown to Turkey on Monday for treatment, including VOA Somali reporter Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle.

Former al-Shabab deputy emir Mukhtar Robow is seen giving blood in a Mogadishu hospital​

There has been no claim of responsibility but Somali government officials and terrorism experts strongly believe that al-Shabab militants were behind the explosion. "Whether they claim or not claim makes no difference, we know the act that has happened, it’s al-Shabab," former intelligence officer Abdi Hassan Hussein told VOA. "The information we are getting so far shows this is the work of al-Shabab, it has their hallmarks." The group has stayed silent since the blast but has killed hundreds of people in recent years through attacks on Mogadishu hotels, restaurants and other public areas.

Former al-Shabab leader condemns attack

Monday, a former top leader of al-Shabab condemned the explosion. Mukhtar Robow, al-Shabab's former deputy emir, called the attack "barbaric" and "a massive tragedy." "Those who are behind this, whose fingerprints are on this, must refrain from shedding the blood of Muslims and repent. You are not going to go to paradise by killing innocents," he told reporters. "People who are doing this must stop. ... I mean al-Shabab," he said.

Critically wounded people wait to be moved into a waiting Turkish plane to be airlifted for treatment in Turkey, in Mogadishu, Somalia​

Robow, who recently defected to the government, was a founder of al-Shabab and the number-two leader of the group as it fought the government and African Union forces for control of Mogadishu between 2007 and 2011. During that time, the group carried out several deadly suicide attacks on Mogadishu hotels, most notably a 2010 attack on the Hotel Muna that killed 33 people, including six members of parliament.

Rally against al-Shabab

 

[WillMunny]

As long as it's only Somalis killing each other that's cool, I say have fun.

 

[waltky]

Death toll jumps to 358 in Mogadishu truck bombing...

Mogadishu truck bombing death toll jumps to 358
Fri, 20 Oct 2017 - More than 50 people are also still missing after last Saturday's huge truck bombing, officials say.

The death toll from last Saturday's huge truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 358, the information minister says. Some 56 people are also still missing, Abdirahman Osman says. Officials have blamed the Islamist al-Shabab group, allied to al-Qaeda. But the group has not said it was behind the attack. The truck exploded at a busy junction, destroying hotels, government offices and restaurants.

However it is unclear if the junction was the intended target or if the driver detonated the explosives because suspicions about the truck had been raised. It blew up next to an oil tanker, which intensified the blast. The blast left 228 people injured, of whom 122 had been flown to Turkey, Sudan and Kenya for treatment, Mr Osman said. Somalia has appealed for blood to treat the wounded.

More than 150 of the victims were burned beyond recognition and were buried by the government on Monday. Somalis in Mogadishu have demonstrated against al-Shabab following the attack, with many wearing red cloth around their foreheads to show solidarity with the victims. A 22,000-strong African Union force is in the country trying to help the government recapture territory from al-Shabab, whose fighters are active in much of rural southern Somalia.

Mogadishu bomb toll jumps to 358

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

What happens in Africa should stay in Africa.