FARGO — A devastating bomb explosion over the weekend in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, has left members of Fargo-Moorhead’s Somali community saddened and disheartened, according to the head of a local organization that focuses on African issues.
“It shocked everyone,” said Hukun Abdullahi, executive director of the Afro American Development Association.
Abdullahi said Monday afternoon, Oct. 16, that he planned to hold a meeting Monday night at which area organizers would work on ways they can send help to the stricken capital city.
The bombing, which happened in the center of Mogadishu on Saturday, reportedly killed more than 300 people.
Abdullahi said the attack, which took the form of a truck packed with explosives, is particularly disheartening because Somalia had been relatively quiet following the creation of a new government that appeared to have improved the nation’s security.
“Nobody was expecting this,” he said.
Rescue workers said a complete death toll may never be established because the intense heat generated by the blast meant the remains of many people would not be found.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that a Bloomington, Minn., father was killed in the attack, which is being called the deadliest single bomb attack in the country’s history.
The Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington told the Pioneer Press that Ahmed AbdiKarin Eyow had just checked into his hotel and was resting when the bomb exploded. He was there to apply for a job with the United Nations.
“He left MN on Saturday, October 7, 2017 with great hope, looking forward to a chance to make a difference in his home country. He landed in Kenya, visiting with family for about a week until moving on to Mogadishu,” according to a gofundme account set up by the Islamic center to help provide for Eyow’s wife and three children.
