A massive car bomb exploded in a busy area of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday, leaving more than 20 people dead, police and witnesses said. “The blast was devastating, and I could confirm more than 20 civilians killed, there were many more wounded, but the toll can be higher,” police officer Ibrahim Mohamed told AFP. The explosion occurred in a busy area prone to heavy traffic due to a security checkpoint and a taxation office. “This was a devastating incident because there were many people including students in buses who were passing by the area when the blast occurred,” said another witness Muhibo Ahmed. Two weeks ago five people were killed when al-Shabaab attacked a Mogadishu hotel popular with politicians, army officers and diplomats in an hours-long siege.

Source: Punch December 28, 2019 07:41 UTC