At least 15 people are reported dead today due to a suicide attack in a restaurant of the central Somali town of Beledweyne. "The death toll we have so far is 15 and the injured are more than that number," Isaq Ali Abdi, police chief of the Hiraan region, told AFP.

Mohamed Ibrahim Ali, a Hirran deputy governor, said seven government soldiers died and top Somali military commanders were injured and hospitalized. He said at least 33 people were injured. Witnesses said that they had counted 12 bodies earlier after the blast.

The attack had targeted a restaurant said to be popular with the military. Ethiopian soldiers, as well as Djiboutians from an African Union force and Somali soldiers are all stationed in Beledweyne. Men from all three forces had gathered there to drink tea when the attacker struck, local people said. “Some people were killed while drinking tea and others as they were walking past. It was an incident that terrorised the town's inhabitants,” said Ahmed Mohamud, another resident.

Somalia's president and prime minister both condemned the attack. “This cowardly act was perpetrated by the violent elements who have no basis in Islamic ideology," President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said. "This proves that the Shebab opted solely for extremism after losing in battle.”

Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said "I am deeply saddened by the death of innocent people in Beledweyne. Terrorists defeat only themselves when they commit these atrocities. They long ago lost all popular support as Somalis have discovered for themselves how poisonous the ideology of extremism is.” he said. Death toll continues to rise.

Do you agree with Prime Minister Shirdon's statement: "Terrorists defeat only themselves when they commit these atrocities" OR is it mission accomplished, especially when the victims are 'enemies'?

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