Sadak Mohamed/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images(MOGADISHU, Somalia) — Hundreds are dead after a truck packed with explosives detonated in the capital of Somalia on Saturday.
At least 276 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in the explosion near the entrance of the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu, according to a government spokesperson. The death toll is expected to rise.
Abdirahman Osman, spokesperson to Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, said on Twitter that Al-Shabaab was responsible for the “barbaric attack.” No terror group has claimed responsibility.
The death toll rises to 276 as of now and around 300 injured as a result of yesterday’s barbaric attack by terrorists’ group Al-Shabaab at KM5 junction in #Mogadishu, #Somalia
— Abdirahman O. Osman (@engyarisow) October 15, 2017
The president declared three days of mourning for the victims of the blast.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert condemned the attack in a statement on Sunday: “In the face of this senseless and cowardly act, the United States will continue to stand with the Somali government, its people, and our international allies to combat terrorism and support their efforts to achieve peace, security, and prosperity.”
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