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At least 37 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured after an attack by an Islamic extremist group on Somalia's capital of Mogadishu.
Islamic groups linked to terrorist organization al-Qaeda have been attacking Somalia for years, trying to take over the country. This particular organization, known as al-Shabaab, used to be the militant wing of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts, and took over a large portion of southern Somalia in 2006, according to the National Counterterrorism Center. Despite their defeat in 2007 by East African forces, al-Shabaab has continued to carry out bombings and shootings across Somalia and Kenya. The organization's primary goal is the overthrow East African governments and create fundamentalist Islamic states, but the nations of Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia are holding strong despite the consistent attacks.
The shooting took place on Friday, beginning when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive at Lido Beach, which has been struck before by al-Shabaab due to the fact that government officials are often present in that area. Gunmen then stormed the area, firing randomly at whoever they could see. Due to the rather unorganized nature of al-Shabaab, they tend to create as much chaos as possible instead of targeting a specific target. Police forces quickly arrived at the scene and shot down multiple gunmen, while a another attacker reportedly blew himself up in the bombing.
The entire incident left some extremely gruesome remains on the beach, with one graphic video showing the true devastation and loss of life that occurred that day. The wounded were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals, which were quickly flooded with patients suffering from gunshot wounds, blast wounds, or even just severe shock. The line for blood donors rapidly reached an hour-long wait as people lined up to assist in the response to the attack, and local doctors and nurses are trying their best to help the 100+ victims of the attack who are still in the hospital, 11 of which are in critical condition.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time this sort of incident has happened, and it most likely won't be the last. Bomb blasts and shootings are relatively common occurrences in the area, with one normally taking place every few months. The Somali and Kenyan governments are working hard to track down operatives of al-Shabaab and other terrorist organizations linked to al-Qaeda to make sure these events don't end up repeating, but it will take time to eradicate them and stop the attacks completely.
Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Adolf Hitler was actually nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1939.
However, the Swedish politician who sent the letter meant it ironically and quickly withdrew the nomination. In an even more ironic twist, Hitler had banned Germans from accepting the awards four years before his own name was even nominated.
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