Islamist gunmen kill 17 in Somalia beach restaurant

– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

PHUKET: At least 17 people were killed when Islamist gunmen struck a popular beachside restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu late on Thursday, Somali police said.

Al Shabaab, a militant group aligned with al Qaeda, said its members set off two car bombs at the Beach View Cafe on Mogadishu’s popular Lido beach, engaging in a gun battle for hours with government troops trying to flush them out.

“The operation ended at 3am today and at least 17 civilians were killed,” police officer Osman Nur told Reuters.

Police said al Shabaab fighters set off the first car bomb at dusk. A huge second blast, which witnesses said echoed around the city center, struck about an hour later as government soldiers laid siege to the restaurant.

— Phuket Gazette Editors