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Islamist Militants' Siege of Somali Restaurant Ends With 22 Dead

Islamist Militants' Siege of Somali Restaurant Ends With 22 Dead

(Bloomberg) -- Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a popular restaurant in Somalia’s capital, killing civilians before being shot dead by security forces in events that claimed at least 22 lives.

Islamist Militants' Siege of Somali Restaurant Ends With 22 Dead

Islamist fighters detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the entrance of Pizza House in Mogadishu late Wednesday and then stormed the building, according to Internal Security Ministry spokesman Ahmed Arab. He said he counted 22 bodies, including four militants, after security forces ended the siege, while at least 19 people were injured.

The al-Shabaab militant group took responsibility for the attack in a statement to Radio Andalus, a broadcaster that supports its campaign. The group, which has waged an insurgency in the Horn of Africa nation for the past decade to impose its version of Islamic law, was forced out of Mogadishu by African Union and government forces in 2011.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mohamed Sheikh Nor in Mogadishu at msheikhnor@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn