The death toll from Saturday's massive truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to more than 230, the deputy speaker of Somalia's upper house of parliament Abshir Mohamed Ahmed tells VOA.

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo said the country “will observe three days of mourning for innocent victims and flags will be flown at half-mast.”

Farmaajo also called on citizens to unite against terror, saying it is “time to unite and pray together. Terror won’t win.”

Earlier Saturday, the blast occurred near Zobe, a busy intersection in Somalia’s capital.

Dead, injured

Abdulkaidr Mohamed Abdulle, a VOA Somali correspondent in Mogadishu, was among the injured. His wife, Samira Abdirahman Sheikh Adam, confirmed to VOA that he had sustained injuries to his neck, head and right hand.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but similar attacks have been carried out by the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab. The group, which is linked to al-Qaida, is trying to overthrow the government in an effort to establish strict Islamic rule.

The United States and the United Nations strongly condemned Saturday's blast and offered condolence to the lives lost and those wounded in the attack.


https://www.mavelworld.com/somali-truck-bomb-death-toll-rises-photos/

Mercy