Friday, September 21, 2012

Suicide bombers kill at least six in Somali capital

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers walked into a restaurant in central Mogadishu and blew themselves up, killing at least six people, witnesses said, less than a week after militant bombers targeted the country's new president.

A Reuters photographer said he could see six bodies as well as the severed heads of the two bombers. Chairs and tables were strewn across the restaurant and pools of blood covered the flooring.

"Two suicide bombers targeted a restaurant called 'The Village' opposite the theatre. There are bodies and there are wounded people," said Mohamed Sheikh, a security guard at the National Theatre located opposite the blast site.

The election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud last week was hailed by his supporters as a vote for change in a country mired in conflict for more than two decades.

But the latest attacks underscore the security challenges the political newcomer faces as African forces battle to quash a five-year insurgency waged by the Islamist rebel group, al Shabaab.

The restaurant, called "The Village", is owned by a well known Somali businessman who returned to Somalia from Britain recently.

(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Mohamed Ahmed; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by James Macharia)

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Friday, September 21, 2012

Suicide bombers kill at least six in Somali capital