Somalia Bombing Death Toll Exceeds 300

A Somali official said on Monday that the death toll from two bombings in the city of Mogadishu has exceeded 300. Meanwhile, people in the city's hospitals are searching for their family members and friends who were killed or injured in the deadliest armed attack in Somalia in the past ten years. According to Reuters, since the occurrence of two powerful explosions in two crowded locations in central Mogadishu on Saturday, the death toll from these attacks has gradually increased. On that day, a truck carrying explosives exploded next to a fuel tanker, creating massive flames. This bombing is the deadliest attack by the militant group Al-Shabaab since 2007 and the beginning of the group's insurgency. Al-Shabaab has not yet claimed responsibility for this attack, but the method and type of attack, namely the use of a truck carrying explosives, has recently been frequently employed by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Abdikadir Abdulrahman, the director of Mogadishu's emergency department, told Reuters, "We have confirmed the death of 300 people in this explosion, but the number of casualties will be higher as many are still missing." A doctor at Medina Hospital also told Reuters that they have counted 258 bodies, of which 160 are unidentifiable. He added, "These bodies were buried by the government on Sunday, and some others were buried by their family members. More than 100 injured have also been transferred to this hospital." According to officials, some of the injured have been transported by plane to Turkey for treatment. Medina Hospital in Mogadishu is filled with people searching for the bodies of their relatives or visiting the injured. Halima Noor, a local mother, told Reuters, "The last time I spoke to my brother was minutes before the explosion. Unfortunately, he was among those whose bodies were unidentifiable and were buried yesterday. I have no hope of finding him alive or dead. But I cannot go home." Abdullahi Aden, 56, also stated that five of his relatives were killed. He is still searching for two other family members and added, "The shop collapsed on them. I couldn't help them. I couldn't even hear their screams, and the adjacent building was also on fire." Reuters reminds that Al-Shabaab regularly carries out attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia. Although this group claims that the targets of its attacks are the government and security forces, it has previously bombed crowded areas. The group has also not claimed responsibility for attacks that have provoked strong public outrage. One example is the suicide bombing at a medical students' graduation ceremony that occurred in 2009. Al-Shabaab continues its insurgency and armed operations against the Somali government, which is recognized by the United Nations and its African allies, aiming to establish an Islamic government based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Al-Shabaab fighters were expelled from Mogadishu in 2011, and since then, the group has lost a significant portion of the territory it controlled. Nevertheless, the group still has the capability to carry out large bombings. Over the past three years, this group has been able to detonate larger bombs, resulting in an increase in civilian casualties from these explosions. According to statistics from the Sahan Research Center in Nairobi, in 2015, the death toll from 265 attacks was about 193 people, but in 2016 this figure increased, and approximately 732 people lost their lives due to 395 bombings. Some of the injured from the bombing on Saturday were transferred by ambulance to the airport on Monday morning and from there to Turkey for treatment. A Turkish military plane has transported medical supplies and equipment to Mogadishu, and Turkish doctors began treating the injured at the airport before their airlift.