At least 13 killed in suicide bombing in central Somalia, al Shabaab claims responsibility
India Today
Militant group al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that has claimed 13 lives in central Somalia's Beledweyne.
At least 13 people were killed in the central Somali town of Beledweyne on Saturday, state television said, after a suicide bomber blew themselves up in a restaurant that witnesses said was packed with local officials and politicians.
The al Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a report by SITE intelligence, which monitors militants groups online.
The hard-line Islamist group, which frequently attacks government targets and civilians, has unleashed two attacks in the past two weeks.A further 18 people were injured in the Beledweyne attack, the Somali National Television said on Twitter.
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One witness in Beledweyne said he helped to evacuate the injured after the mid-morning attack.
"I counted seven dead, including soldiers and civilians, and over ten injured," Aden Farah, a local elder, told Reuters.
Police and government officials confirmed the restaurant attack was the result of a suicide bomb but did not give the number of casualties.
