At least 39 people were killed after a car bomb exploded near a busy market in the Somali capital Mogadishu. More than 50 others were wounded.

In the deadliest attack since the election of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed - nicknamed Farmajo - the vehicle exploded on Sunday at an intersection packed with civilians, traders, and security forces.

"We carried 39 dead bodies and there were many others injured," Dr Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of the Aamin Ambulance Service, told Reuters news agency.

Mohamed Deg witnessed the attack. "I was very shocked. I saw people crying in pain and others lying on the ground wounded."

Al-Shabab, the armed anti-government group, did not claim responsibility for the attack, but it came on the same day as it threatened to wage "vicious war" against Farmajo and his new government, according to the SITE intelligence group that monitors its accounts.

Reward for information

Farmajo described the attack as "horrific" on Twitter and shared pictures of himself visiting victims in hospital.

Local media reported the president had offered a $100,000 reward for information on who carried out the deadly bombing.

The latest attack underlines the challenge facing the new president, who has inherited an administration with limited control over Somali territory because of the presence of al-Shabab, and is heavily propped up by the international community.

African Union troops drove al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in August 2011 but the fighters continue to control rural areas and launch repeated attacks in the capital.

Jon Temin is an Africa specialist and former US State Department official. He told Al Jazeera the attack shows even though Al-Shabab doesn't hold as much territory as it used to, the group still poses a serious threat.

"They are even more dangerous because of these types of hit-and-run attacks, which unfortunately, they've proven to be very adept at over the past few years," said Temin.

"For the new president of Somalia, I think it has to be among the very top of his priorities. Shabab, particularly in the capital city of Mogadishu, is a daily threat, a daily concern, a real impediment to economic growth - and just a threat to individual security."

Somalia: The Forgotten Story

Sheikh Hassan Yaqub Ali, a senior al-Shabab official, said in a speech broadcast on a radio station linked to the group that Farmajo was considered more dangerous than past presidents as he held joint American citizenship.

The blast brought international condemnation with the European Union describing it as "yet another act of terror targeting the Somali people by those wanting to undermine progress towards a stable and secure Somalia".

The EU said it stood behind Farmajo's efforts to bring security to his nation and build strong institutions.

Mortar strikes

In the week before the election on February 8, at least 28 people were killed when al-Shabab struck a popular hotel in Mogadishu.

Farmajo's inauguration takes place on Wednesday, although he officially took office this week at a ceremony marred by a series of al-Shabab mortar strikes near the presidential palace that left two children dead.

Farmajo, whose brief stint as prime minister in 2010-11 showed him to be a no-nonsense leader set on improving governance and cracking down on corruption, is hugely popular in Somalia.

But he faces enormous difficulty in turning around one of the world's most troubled nations.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since the collapse of Siad Barre's government in 1991, which led to civil war and decades of anarchy.</s>As many as 20 people have been killed and up to 50 wounded in a reported suicide car bomb blast that ripped through a busy market on Sunday in Mogadishu, Somalia, AP reported a local official as saying.According to mayor Ahmed Abdulle Afrax, the car exploded near a busy intersection in the Wadajir district where many people were gathered at about 1.30 pm local time."Someone had parked the car here and left before it was detonated," local butcher Mohamed Haji told AP Witnesses say the the market was destroyed in the blast."I was staying in my shop when a car came in into the market and exploded," witness Abdulle Omar said. "I saw more than 20 people lying on the ground. Most of them were dead and the market was totally destroyed."No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Islamist group Al-Shabaab carried out a number of mortar attacks following the election of new president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed last week.The group described the new Somali leader as an "apostate," on Sunday and has vowed to continue fighting the government.</s>A car bomb ripped through a market in Mogadishu today, killing 39 people and injuring around 50, a local official said, days after Somalia elected a new president. The car was driven by a suicide bomber, said Ahmed Abdulle Afrax, the mayor of Wadajir district where the bombing happened.

Start the conversation, or Read more at RTE.ie.</s>At least 16 people have been killed and more than 40 injured in a car bomb blast in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The car blew up in the city’s southern Madina district, officials say.

The blast – which ripped through shops and food stalls – is the first major attack in the capital since the election of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed earlier this month.

No group has claimed responsibility, although al-Shabab militants are likely to be the prime suspects.

On Saturday a senior al-Shabab commander vowed to target the president’s supporters.

Sheikh Hassan Yaqub said that anyone who collaborated with the new president – who he described as evil-minded – would be at risk of attack by the Islamist group.

Witnesses on Sunday spoke of chaos and bloodshed in the aftermath of the explosion, which some reports said was caused by a suicide bomber.

“I was staying in my shop when a car came into the market and exploded. I saw more than 20 people lying on the ground. Most of them were dead and the market was totally destroyed,” eyewitness Abdulle Omar told the Reuters news agency.

Other witnesses said the bomb went off at a busy junction where soldiers, civilians and traders congregate.

“There were many small scale traders alongside the road and teashops and restaurants. There were also members of the security forces and shoppers and the blast was so huge that it killed nearly 20 people, most of them civilians,” Sumayo Moalim told the AFP news agency.

The attack underlines the magnitude of the challenge faced by the new president whose administration relies heavily on international support and does not control all of Somalia.

Troops from the African Union forced al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in 2011, but the militants remain powerful in some rural areas.

Last month at least 28 people were killed in a bomb attack by militants at the Dayah hotel in Mogadishu. BBC News</s>Powerful blast, thought to be from a car bomb, tore through shops and food stands in Mogadishu's Madina district.

At least 20 people were killed and 50 others injured when a car packed with explosives blew up near a busy intersection in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, an official has said.

District Commissioner Ahmed Abdulle said the blast from the car parked near a restaurant went off at a busy time when shoppers and traders were gathered outside the market on Sunday.

According to a security official Mohamed Hussein, the powerful blast, thought to be from a car bomb, tore through shops and food stands in Mogadishu's Madina district.

"The area was a busy intersection alongside the road and there were many civilians when the blast occurred," said local security official Mohamed Jilibey..

Hussein said the bomb also wounded more than 10 others and casualties may rise as many of the wounded victims suffered horrific wounds.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast.</s>At least 39 people were killed and 50 others injured in a car bomb explosion in Somalia’s Mogadishu on Sunday, Reuters reported. The attack comes several days after the nation elected dual United States-Somali citizen and former prime minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed as president. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but officials suspect militant group al-Shabab’s involvement.

The mayor of Wadajir said the attack in the market area was a suicide bombing.

The incident follows reports that the extremist group had threatened to wage a “vicious war” against the newly elected president and his supporters. Abdullahi has taken over at a time when the al-Shabab has control over sections of the country’s terrain.

The president condemned the attack and visited some of the wounded on Sunday. He offered a $100,000 (approximately Rs 66 lakh) reward in exchange for information on the perpetrators of the attack, BBC reported. “It was a horrific and barbaric attack only aimed at killings civilians,’’ he said.

The European Union also condemned the attack and said it supported the president’s plan to develop his nation and increase security.

At least 28 people were killed when al-Shabab targeted a hotel in Mogadishu on February 8, a week before the election. Al-Shabab frequently attacks hotels and government buildings in Somalia in protest against the country’s government, which is backed by Western countries. On January 2, an explosion near the security checkpoint at Mogadishu’s international airport left three dead. The blast had occurred near the main base of the African Union peacekeeping mission, reported AP.

The country has suffered the aftermath of civil war since 1991 and has also grappled with severe drought.</s>At least 14 people were killed on Sunday when a car packed with explosives blew up near a busy intersection in Mogadishu, officials and witnesses said.

"We have counted about 14 people killed and more than 30 others wounded... the area was a busy intersection alongside the road and there were many civilians when the blast occurred," said local security official Mohamed Jilibey.

The explosion is the first big attack in the Somali capital since the election of new President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed -- nicknamed Farmajo -- although several mortar blasts claimed by Al-Shabaab Islamists marked the official handover of power last week.

"The death toll is very high, more than 10 people were confirmed dead and others are wounded," said Dahir Ahmed, another official.

Witnesses said the bombing targeted an intersection in southern Mogadishu's Madina district where soldiers, civilians and traders were present.

"There were many small scale traders alongside the road and teashops and restaurants. There were also members of the security forces and shoppers and the blast was so huge that it killed nearly 20 people, most of them civilians," said witness Sumayo Moalim.

The attack underlines the challenge facing the new president, who has inherited an administration with limited control over Somali territory due to the presence of Shabaab, and is heavily propped up by the international community.

AU troops drove Shabaab militants out of Mogadishu in August 2011 but the militants continue to control rural areas and launch repeated attacks in the capital.</s>At least 30 people were killed in a huge car bomb blast at a busy market in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Sunday, officials said, China's Xinhua news agency reported. Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency confirmed the incident at Kawo-Gudey in Wadajir district, saying the casualties were both soldiers and civilians.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Malaysian National News Agency.</s>A wounded victim is transported to the emergency room at Medina Hospital after a car bomb in a crowded market kills 35.

Mogadishu () – A truck bomb detonated at a busy intersection in Mogadishu’s Wadajir district ripped through Kawa-Godey market just after Dhuhr prayers killing at least 35 and injuring scores more.

A police official, Capt. Mohamed Hussein told reporters that a car bomb exploded close to shops, food stands, and khat stalls.

Witnesses say that a car parked on the roadside was detonated sending plumes of thick black smoke in the air.

The vast majority of the victims were shoppers and traders.

Speaking with HOL, Medina Hospital Director Mohamed Yusuf said that over 35 people were brought to the hospital. 11 were treated for minor injuries and sent home. He added that 3 victims died while doctors fought to save their lives. Among the victims are several young children and women.

“In the coming hours, we will know exactly how many people came to us, how many died and how many were injured in this attack.”

He also noted that many of the injured have been sent to different hospitals in the area and he hasn’t spoken with them.

HOL journalists reporting from Media Hospital said that they saw a pregnant woman being carted off to the emergency room. Her family members told us she was a khat trader in Kawa-Godey.

Media hospital is the closest major hospital to Kawa-Godey market, which is also in Medina district.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility but the militant insurgency group Al-Shabaab is widely believed to be behind the attack. The group has vowed to fight the Somali government which it views as an apostate state. The group regularly carries out deadly attacks in the nation’s capital, often times with the use of suicide bombers.

The latest attack comes on the heels of an announcement by Sheikh Hassan Yaqub, condemning the countries election and the new President.

The senior Al-Shabaab commander called President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo an “apostate” and “evil-minded”.</s>Mogadishu: A blast from a suicide car bomb ripped through a market in Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, killing 18 people and wounding at least 25, a local official said, days after the country elected a new president.

Casualties were confirmed by Ahmed Abdulle Afrax, the mayor of Wadajir, the district of the city where the bombing happened.

“I was staying in my shop when a car came in into the market and exploded. I saw more than 20 people lying on the ground.

Most of them were dead and the market was destroyed,” witness Abdulle Omar said.

Al Shabaab, the Islamist insurgent group that is fighting the UN-backed Somali government, did not immediately claim responsibility.

Al Shabaab has been able to carry out increasingly deadly bombings despite losing most of its territory in the country to African Union peacekeepers supporting Somali government.

This month, Somalia elected a new president, Mohammad Abdullahi Mohammad. The dual US-Somali citizen and former prime minister is better known by his nickname, “Farmajo”.

The Horn of Africa country has been torn apart by civil war since 1991. Aid agencies are warning that a severe drought has placed large swathes of the country at risk of famine.
A car bomb explodes in the Wadajir District of Mogadishu, killing at least 20 people and injuring 50 more.