- Title: Security personnel clear Mogadishu checkpoint blast that killed at least 61
- Date: 28th December 2019
- Summary: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (DECEMBER 28, 2019) (REUTERS) (MUTE) PHOTOGRAPH OF BLASTED OUT WHITE VAN COVERED WITH BLOOD / SECURITY PERSONNEL STANDING GUARD AT SCENE OF ATTACK PHOTOGRAPH OF BLOOD COVERED WHITE VAN AND YELLOW TUK TUK
- Embargoed: 11th January 2020 10:47
- Keywords: Al-Qaeda-lined Islamist group Horn of Africa Mogadishu Somalia al Shabaab bomb blast
- Location: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
- City: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
- Country: Somalia
- Topics: Bombing (non-military),Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001BBW272F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: An explosion at a bustling checkpoint in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Saturday (December 28) killed at least 61 people and wounded dozens, an ambulance service official said, the latest in a string of deadly attacks.
Rescuers carried dead bodies past the twisted wreckage of a vehicle and minibus taxis smeared with blood.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast as authorities expect the death toll to rise.
Al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab regularly carries out such attacks in an attempt to undermine the government, which is backed by the United Nations and African Union troops. Al Shabaab has also carried out attacks in east African countries such as Kenya and Uganda.
The most deadly attack blamed on al Shabaab was in October 2017 when a bomb-laden truck exploded next to a fuel tanker in Mogadishu, creating a storm of fire that killed nearly 600 people.
(Production: Feisal Omar, Michael Fiorentino) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: WARNING: Editors please note, this clip contains graphic material