Somali militants kill five with car bomb in Mogadishu

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Somali militants kill five with car bomb in Mogadishu

Source: Reuters - Wed, 15 Oct 2014 20:21 GMT, 15 Oct 2014

URL: http://goo.gl/RWe9ny
(Adds al Shabaab claim of responsibility, background)

By Feisal Omar

MOGADISHU, Oct 15 (Reuters) - At least five people were killed and several wounded when a car bomb planted by Islamist militant group al Shabaab exploded near restaurants on a busy street in the Somali capital on Wednesday.

Al Shabaab, which wants to topple the government it says is a puppet of Western powers, has frequently launched bomb and gun attacks in Mogadishu and promised more attacks after losing control of a major coastal stronghold this month.

"We heard a huge blast followed by gunfire," said Ahmed Idris who was near the Village Market restaurant close to the blast. A tea shop and a pharmacy bore the brunt of the damage.

Idris said several mortar shells landed in the area just before the blast.