“We heard cries of "Allahu akbar" (God is great), and immediately afterwards the grenades went off,” eyewitness Ahmed Ali told Somalia Report.
“We are kindly requesting the government to help save us from these people (Al-Shabaab), because we and our children are innocent and we should not suffer for what is not our fault,” said Asha, mother of one of the wounded boys. The six wounded were taken to Madina Hospital. "Of the six boys who were brought to me, two are seriously injured and in need of immediate surgury,” said Dr. Warsame Ali. The two deceased boys were aged eight to 14, according to hospital officials. An al-Shabaab spokesman admitted that the militant group had carried out the attack, claiming that the cafe had operated as a gambling den.