Massive truck bomb in Mogadishu Somalia kills at least 90 people.

The aftermath of the blast. Reuters. 

A massive truck bomb in Mogadishu Somalia has killed at least 90 people. Reuters. The dead included many children, 17 police officers and two Turkish nationals. Saturday is a working day in Somalia and the bomb exploded during rush hour. No one has taken credit for the attack but local officials are blaming al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda linked terror group who has a long history of deadly bombings in Somalia. 

My Comment:

Fairly horrible attack in Somalia, most notable for the number of deaths it caused. Somalia has a long history of violent attacks like this but the death toll isn't usually this bad. It seems as though the terrorists had a very powerful explosive device to cause this much devastation. 

I am guessing that the local officials are correct and that this was an al-Shabaab attack. They are the biggest and most powerful terror group in the East Africa region and ISIS doesn't have much of a presence in the region. Plus ISIS tends to target westerners not local groups, unless they are non-Suni Muslims. 

Al-Shabaab remains one of the more deadly and dangerous terror groups active today. They have launched several attacks in the past, some of which dwarf this attack. The most notorious of those was the Westgate mall attack in Narobi Kenya which ended with 71 people dead and 200 wounded. They are also an al-Qaeda affiliate and one of the few remaining ones that still have the capability to launch major attacks, along with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. 

This attack probably won't make much of an impact. Somalia has been a basket case for years and people generally ignore what happens there. The deaths of children may give this attack more attention but I am guessing coverage for this attack will fade pretty much immediately. 

I do have to say though that the pace and severity of major terror attacks has decreased dramatically. For years it seemed like there were major attacks almost weekly and for awhile there it seemed like even daily attacks weren't out of the question. And these attacks were often targeting western targets and even happening in western countries. 

Now though? This is the biggest terror attack in recent memory besides the Easter Sri Lanka ISIS bombings that happened awhile back. There was also the London Bridge mass stabbing but that was a fairly minor attack with only two deaths. Other than that, 2019 was a fairly quiet year for terrorism. 

Why is that? I think it's largely because most of the world's tinderboxes have calmed down and the various terror groups have lost their bases of operations. Both ISIS and al-Qaeda are mere shadows of their former selves and really aren't capable of launching attacks anymore. Plus, their media empire has collapsed so they have trouble even inspiring lone wolf attacks. Only in dysfunctional countries like Somalia are these terror groups having anything that remotely resembles success now. 

And I think that is one of the biggest stories of the last couple years and one that just doesn't get enough coverage. ISIS and al-Qaeda are greatly reduced and the massive threat of frequent terror attacks seems to be mostly contained. That's a hugely positive thing and it's not something that gets enough coverage.