Deadly suicide bomb strikes busy restaurant in central Somalia

At least 15 people have been killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a crowded restaurant in central Somalia.

The dead were mostly civilians, and 20 other people were wounded, police spokesman Dini Roble Ahmed told The Associated Press on Saturday by phone.

The blast caused “huge damage,” he said. 

The suicide bomber hit a busy restaurant in Beledweyne, the provincial capital of the Hiran region, a security official told Anadolu News Agency over the phone on condition of anonymity.

The Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group Al Shabab claimed responsibility.

“The scene of the bomb blast was very chaotic and human blood was everywhere. This was a huge explosion,” Abdirmahad Hussein, an eyewitness said.

Security forces reached the area firing live bullets in the air trying to disperse people who flocked to the scene of the blast, according to another eyewitness.

Beledweyne is a major town located 341 kilometres (211 miles) from the Somali capital Mogadishu.

The attack comes as the Horn of Africa country is preparing for the presidential election scheduled for February 25.

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