Suspected car bomb near Somali hotel kills at least six

[News Manager]

By Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A suspected car bomb attack outside a popular hotel in the Somali capital on Friday evening killed at least six people and left the area covered with blood and burning vehicles, a senior police officer said. Mogadishu has often been the target of attacks by al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-aligned Islamist group that was driven out of the capital by African troops two years ago. Friday's attack and others in recent months that have targeted offices of the United Nations, restaurants and other sites highlight the challenge faced by the Somali government as it tries to rebuild the nation after two decades of conflict. "We understand a car laden with explosives was parked in front of the hotel," Farah Aden, a senior police officer, told Reuters.

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