30 dead after blast inside Somali mosque

Two bombs exploded inside a mosque in Mogadishu’s main market today in the first Iraq-style bombing inside a house of worship in Somalia. At least 30 people were killed and 70 wounded, officials said.

The blasts in the Bakara market went off while people were sitting inside the Abdala Shideye mosque waiting for noon prayers.

The bombings highlight the increasingly violent path Somali militants are taking following an influx of insurgents into the country from the Afghanistan conflict, fighters who are now training Somali militants.

Most of the victims were worshippers, said businessman Ahmed Abdulle, a witness.

"The first one occurred at the back of the mosque and the other one at the front. I saw the dead bodies of at least 11 people and 18 injured,” said a businessman, Isma’il Dahir.

Ali Muse, the head of Mogadishu’s ambulance service, said at least 30 people were killed and 70 wounded. Abdullahi Haji Ilmi, a witness, said he counted 32 bodies.

A high-ranking member of Somalia’s most powerful militia, al-Shabab, was said to be inside the mosque during the explosions. It was not known whether Fuad Mohamed Qalaf survived the bombings.