Al-shabab terror hits Mogadishu again

At least five people were killed and several wounded Tuesday evening when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a busy restaurant in Mogadishu's Yaqshid district, according to a police official.

The suicide bomber blew up in front of the restaurant that is frequented by local youths, killing at least three people wounding several others. Ambulances carrying paramedics and security officials reached the scene and the wounded were taken to hospitals.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for recent attacks in the horn of African country.

Meanwhile, an intelligence officer and two bodyguards were killed after a landmine explosion targeted his vehicle in the Daynile district in Mogadishu earlier in the day.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for that attack and said its fighters ambushed security officials and killed more than 12 soldiers.

Somalia has faced renewed instability in recent months, with long-running election delays and an ongoing row between its president and prime minister sapping attention from an insurgency waged by Al-Shabab extremists.

Despite the militants’ ouster from Mogadishu a decade ago, Somalia’s government controls only a small portion of the country, with the crucial help of some 20,000 soldiers from the African Union Mission in Somalia.

In a statement, the AU expressed “grave concern at the worsening security situation in Somalia,” where there had been a “worrying resurgence” of Al-Shabab activities.

The statement also urged President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, widely known as Farmajo, and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to resolve their differences and “re-focus on concluding the overdue elections without further delay.”

“The ongoing political stand-off between the Office of the President and the Office of the Prime Minister is contributing to the worsening security situation, as the political authorities find their attention distracted from governance matters,” the statement said.