Death Toll Hits 34 In Car Bombing At Somali Market

Somali officials say 34 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide car bomb detonated in the capital, Mogadishu.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the February 19 blast, which stuck a market in the Wasdajir district of the city.

News agencies said the casualties included women and children.

Ambulance driver Sabriye Abdullahi told the Associated Press that some of the injured victims died on their way to hospitals.

"Many of them suffered extensive third-degree burns and others were burned beyond recognition," he said.

The Islamist extremist group Al-Shabab has carried out similar attacks in the past.

Earlier in the day, Al-Shabab issued a statement denouncing newly elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed as an "apostate."

Mohamed, a former prime minister who holds both Somali and U.S. citizenships, was elected on February 8.

The president visited victims wounded by the blast and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those who planned the attack.

Based on reporting by dpa, Reuters, and AP