10 dead, 30 hurt in Mogadishu suicide blast

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<strong>At least 10 people were killed and 30 others injured in a suicide car bombing outside a popular restaurant in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, a police official said.</strong></p>
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Those injured in the attack that targeted the Lul Yemeni restaurant near the seaport on Friday evening are mainly civilians, Xinhua news agency quoted the official as saying.</p>
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Another official said that the casualties could be higher as the blast caused the destruction of nearby buildings.</p>
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Witnesses said they heard a huge blast near the popular restaurant which was earlier targeted by a militant group in August 2020.</p>
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"There was a huge blast and we learnt that many people were killed in the blast. Heavily armed forces arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area," a witness said.</p>
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Another witness said a plume of black smoke could be seen billowing from the scene amid heavy gunfire between the security forces and terrorists.</p>
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"The blast was so huge that a house near the scene collapsed but there are efforts to rescue those still underneath the rubble."</p>
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No group has claimed responsibility yet.</p>
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This is the second suicide bombing in the Somalian capital this year.</p>
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On January 31, at least five people were killed and several others injured in a suicide car bombing outside the Afrik Hotel, which is frequented by government officials.</p>
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The Al-Shahab terror group, which is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government, had claimed responsibility for the attack.</p>
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<em>(IANS)</em></p>