MOGADISHU - A car bomb exploded at a
shopping mall in Somalia's capital on Monday, killing 11 people
and wounding 10 in an attack that police said was probably
carried out by Islamist group Al-Shabaab.
The blast occurred in Mogadishu's Hamarweyne district, a
busy area with shops and restaurants.
"Several dead people were removed from a wrecked building at
the blast scene. So far death toll is 11 civilians and 10
others injured," police officer Mohamed Hussein said.
Hussein had earlier put the death toll at two.
A Reuters witness saw one dead person at the scene, where
four cars burned and a restaurant was destroyed.
Al-Shabaab frequently carries out bombings in Mogadishu and
other parts of Somalia against government and other targets.
The group is trying to oust the Western-backed central
government and establish its own rule based on its strict
interpretation of sharia law.
Al-Shabaab's militants also carry out attacks outside
Somalia. Its latest assault in neighbouring Kenya, a suicide and
gun attack at an office and hotel complex in the capital Nairobi
last month, killed 21 people.
Al-Shabaab want Kenya to withdraw its troops from Somalia
where they are stationed as part of an African peacekeeping
force which helps defend the central government.