37 killed after Al-Shabaab attacks Mogadishu beach

MOGADISHU

An Al-Shabaab suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a busy beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu killing 37 people and wounding scores more, officials said on Aug. 3, one of the deadliest recent strikes in the East African country.

The Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists have been waging an insurgency against the internationally backed federal government for more than 17 years.

They have previously targeted the Lido beach area, popular with business people and government members.

The assault, for which Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility in a post on a pro-Shabaab website, began late on Aug. 2 when a suicide bomber detonated a device and gunmen stormed the area.

Survivors described how following the initial blast gunmen stormed onto the beach intending to "kill everyone they could."

Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for numerous bombings and attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia, whose government is pursuing an offensive against the Islamist militants.

The Lido area has been the target of previous attacks, including a six-hour Al-Shabaab siege of a beachside hotel in 2023 which left six civilians dead and 10 wounded.

Five people were killed in a powerful car bomb blast at a cafe in the capital last month.

In March, militants killed three people and wounded 27 in an hours-long siege of another Mogadishu hotel, breaking a relative lull in the fighting.