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Somalia set to mark somber first anniversary of deadliest bombing

Somalia set to mark somber first anniversary of deadliest bombing

Somali government says it’s planning to hold nationwide memorial events to mark the first anniversary of the deadliest bombing that devastated the Somali capital and killed more than 700 people on Oct. 14 last year.

The bombing by a massive truck bomb has hit one of the city’s business districts, devastating an entire area full of business premises and hotels and killed nearly all people around and afar. The powerful blast has also left hundreds of people missing and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

One year on, Mogadishu which still bears scars from the bombing is preparing to remember those who have been killed on that day, as mood of sadness overwhelmed the city hard hit by the bombing in preparation for groundbreaking ceremonies to remember the dead.

Meanwhile, Somali cabinet on Thursday said that Oct. 14 would be declared as a national day to remember the victims of blasts carried out by ‘terrorists’, referring to the Al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab group which often carries out deadly bombings across the country.

According some organizers, Mogadishu’s residents will also observe a moment of silence to mark the time the catastrophic truck bomb went off during the upcoming events.

The anniversary comes as residents continue struggling to figure out the motive behind the bombing of which no group claimed to have carried out as all those killed in the blast have been identified as civilians.

Somali government has subsequently blamed al-Shabab for the bombing. However, the group hasn’t so far denied or admitted that it was behind the bombing.

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