Al-Shabaab kills 31 in Somali restaurant siege

Al-Shabaab extremists killed at least 31 people in a nightlong siege at a popular restaurant in Somalia’s capital that ended early Thursday morning. A suicide car bomb on Wednesday evening detonated outside Pizza House and Posh Treats in Mogadishu. Gunmen stormed the Pizza House following the explosion, opening fire on customers and attempting to repel the security forces gathered outside. Witnesses recounted hiding behind tables and curtains to take cover from the bullets. Nearly 40 people sustained injuries from the attack. Security forces killed all five attackers this morning and secured control of the building, senior Somali police chief Capt. Mohamed Hussein said. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on its website. The Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies ranked the extremist group as the deadliest in Africa after it stepped up attacks in the past year.

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