39 Dead, 50 Wounded In Mogadishu Market Blast

MEP: A blast at a busy market in the western part of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu killed at least 39 people and wounded 50 others, police said.

Many of the dead were carried away by their relatives soon after the blast, said Capt. Mohamed Hussein.

“It was a horrific and barbaric attack only aimed at killings civilians,” he said from the scene of the blast.

The deadliest Sunday attack since the election of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed – nicknamed Farmajo – the vehicle packed with explosives exploded at an intersection packed with civilians, traders, and security forces.

Ahmed Mohamed, a witness, said he saw severed limbs and blood scattered across the market. “Bodies were piled on top of each other.” he said by phone as ambulance sirens echoed from the background.

No group has yet claimed responsibility, it bears the hallmarks of Somalia’s Islamic extremists rebels, al-Shabab. In a Twitter post, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed condemned the blast, saying that it shows the “cruelty” of al-Shabab.