Bomb attack at restaurant in Somalia kills 2

By Magdalene Mukami

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - A bomb exploded late Monday in Somalia, killing two people and wounding five others.

Police told reporters that the blast occurred at an eatery in the port city of Kismayo, located 528 kilometers (328 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu, and was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED).

No group has claimed responsibility, but locals and authorities say the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorist group has carried out similar attacks.

The attack came just two days after a car bomb exploded at a checkpoint near Somalia’s presidential place in Mogadishu, killing eight people.

The al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab terror group claimed responsibility and said it had targeted a convoy carrying senior government officials heading to the presidential palace.

Al-Shabaab was also behind a truck bombing in October 2017 in Mogadishu that took some 600 lives in the worst attack in the nation's history.

The same organization was behind many similar attacks across the country.