Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-A car bomb blast on a busy street near a restaurant and mosque, behind the National Women Organization (Hooyooyinka) building and close to Villa Somalia, has left at least three people dead, including two women, and several others injured.
Among the victims is Miski Hassan Dhi'isow, the daughter of Hirshabelle State Police Commissioner Hassan Dhi'isow.
The explosion caused severe devastation, with eyewitnesses recounting that a vehicle carrying women who had come for lunch at Geel-Doox restaurant was completely destroyed and burned.
Cleanup crews from Mogadishu's waste management were seen removing debris from the site, and damage was noted on one of the main doors of a mosque opposite the restaurant, with shrapnel holes evident throughout.
Despite the severity of the blast, normal traffic resumed on the busy road soon after, with cars and trucks using the route.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Al-Shabaab had earlier claimed responsibility for a separate attack in the Dharkenlay district of Mogadishu overnight. Police have cordoned off the area but have yet to comment on either attack.
