At least 11 people died in an explosion in Mogadishu when a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb in the Somalian capital on 8th February, 2011. The terror attack targeted a small cafe located in the vicinity of the Presidential palace; the cafe is located at the centre of the government quarters, near a hotel that was frequented by officials some time ago.
According to lawmaker Mohamed Iro, "There was a heavy explosion, a car full of explosives was detonated. At least 11 people were killed and a greater number were wounded.” Security official Abdi Abullahi Jama, also commented "It was a suicide bomber in a car -- they were trying to target the people near the hotel. There are many people dead and many wounded, we are still investigating."
The strife-torn country has been battling a spate of blasts in the past few months, though no group stepped up to take responsibility of this recent attack at Mogadishu. Roadside bombs and grenade explosions have become common in the national capital. The rise in terrorist activities has been attributed to the change in tactics of Shebab, an outlaw associated with al-Qaida. He has moved from fixed positions to guerrilla warfare in a bid to target government and African Union troops supported by the West.
In August 2010, a terrorist attack had occurred at the Mona hotel, when two Islamist suicide gunmen in official security uniforms opened fire and killed 32 people. Out of the 32 deceased in that unfortunate incident, 6 were members of the national parliament.
