The Somali al-Shabab movement linked to al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for a double attack on a restaurant and cafe in two locations in the southern city of Baidoa that killed at least seven people on Saturday.
Residents in Baidoa told Reuters they heard two explosions and then saw thick columns of smoke, while a spokesman for the al-Shabaab terrorist group said members of the group targeted the two places frequented by soldiers from government forces.
Mukhtar Idan, a police official in the provincial capital of Baidoa, said that "the first explosion targeted a restaurant near the main roundabout in the city, a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing 7 people and wounding 10 others," AFP reported.
The second blast targeted a cafe, but the exact number of casualties was not immediately known.
An Associated Press nurse said at least 10 wounded were being treated at the main hospital in Baidoa, most of them seriously injured.
The attacks came after an air strike by US forces against the movement's terrorists in the Haradiri district of Glemdej province.
The US military said on Saturday that it is still staying the impact of the air strike carried out Friday, in cooperation with the Somali army.
