Roadside explosions in the Somali capital Mogadishu leave five dead

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Sept. 15 (AP): Roadside explosions in the Somali capital killed five people and injured eight others on Saturday, a city official said. An explosive device was planted at a spot in the street where many young people had gathered to take photos, Abdullahi Sheikh Abdirahman, district commissioner of Kahda district in Mogadishu, told reporters.

“I saw several people lying on the street a few minutes after the first explosion, and when rescue workers came to help, another explosion occurred, which caused the most casualties,” witness Abdisamad Osman told the Associated Press. No group immediately claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack. But the Islamist extremist group al-Shabab, which is fighting against the Somali government, often carries out such attacks.

The attack came just weeks after a similar explosion on a beach that killed more than 30 people and injured over 60 others. The attack, one of the deadliest in recent months, raised concerns about the increasing frequency of violent attacks in Mogadishu.