At least 32 civilians have been killed and 63 injured in an explosion on a popular beach in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Police said Saturday that the incident, blamed by government on militant Islamist group Al Shabaab, occurred late on Friday evening.
It came as the deadliest attack in Somalia since twin car bombs detonated near a busy market intersection in October 2022, killed at least 100 people.
Police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden said one soldier was killed in addition to the 32 civilians killed at the beach restaurant.
Aden said one of the attackers blew himself up, three others were killed by security forces, while one attacker was captured alive.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre have met with security agencies, saying they had drawn up plans to strengthen the city’s security.
The president’s office said in a post on X, “The government is determined to eliminate the terrorists. The terrorists want to terrify the civilians. Let the civilians report the terrorists hiding among them.”
Somali government officials typically mean Al Shabaab when they use the word terrorist, as Al Shabaab is the terrorist group which controlls much of Somalia before they were pushed back in government counter-offensives.
The militants however remain capable of launching significant attacks on government and other targets, and are believed to be behind the Friday night attack.
And Al Shabab, the Al Qaeda’s East African affiliate, said Saturday afternoon through its radio station that its fighters indeed carried out the attack.