Two car bombs exploded in quick succession at a busy intersection in the Somali capital Mogadishu. An unknown number of civilians were killed. A journalist from the AP news agency saw “many dead bodies” on the street. He had the impression that these were people who traveled by public transport.

The second bomb went off in front of a busy restaurant. One of the ambulances that exploded after the first bomb hit.

The attack happened at the same intersection where more than 500 people died five years ago, also as a result of an attack. The crash site is near a neighborhood where government buildings are located, including the Ministry of Education. An officer guarding the ministry saw 12 bodies and more than 20 injured.

Today, key members of the Somali government are scheduled to debate how to end the violence being perpetrated by violent groups that have plagued the country for years.

No one has claimed the attack, but it is believed to be the work of the Islamist terrorist group al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group that has been active in East Africa for more than 20 years. The group controls large parts of the country.