Many killed in Somalia, Egypt bomb detonations

“They killed nearly 20 people, including women and children,” Somali police officer Mohamed Abdirahman said, describing it as a “barbaric and brutal attack against innocent civilians”. After a huge explosion, gunmen burst into the restaurant as diners were sitting down for their evening meal. 

Witnesses said that gunmen shouted “Allahu akbar,” the Arabic phrase for “God is great,” and entered the restaurant from the direction of the beach as clients, sitting behind razor wire, watched the seashore. “They randomly fired at people sitting near the beach before entering the restaurant,” said witness Ahmed Nur, who was strolling along the shoreline when the attack happened. 

The Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab have claimed responsibility for the attack, in which four of their gunmen were also killed, and one captured. 

At least nine persons including four policemen have been killed and 20 others injured in a powerful blast near the ancient pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

The explosion took place when a police team raided a militants’ hideout near a road leading to the pyramids in the Cairo suburb of Giza ahead of Monday’s anniversary of the 2011 revolution that ousted former strongman Hosni Mubarak. 

The blast occurred after a team of security personnel attacked the militants’ hideout in Giza. Security forces cordoned off the area soon after the explosion. The militants exchanged gunfire with security forces which resulted in the bombs, belonging to the militants in the apartment, getting exploded, police said, adding that some of the injured people are said to be in critical condition. 

On Thursday, at least five Egyptian policemen were killed when militants stormed a police checkpoint in the country’s restive North Sinai and opened fire on them. The country has witnessed several violent militant attacks since the January 2011 revolution that toppled Mubarak, killing over 700 policemen and injuring over 18,000 others.