A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people on Sunday in a deadly attack at a military recruitment drive in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, witnesses told Reuters.
The bombing took place as young recruits were lining up at the Damanyo military base. A military captain, Suleiman, described the attack, saying, “I was across the street when a tuk-tuk sped up, and a man jumped out, ran into the queue, and detonated his explosives. I saw 10 dead, including recruits and bystanders. The death toll may rise.”
The scene was marked by abandoned shoes and the remains of the bomber. Abdisalan Mohamed, a witness, recounted seeing “hundreds of teenagers at the gate when a deafening explosion went off, and smoke filled the area. We couldn’t see the victims.”
At least 30 people were injured, with six of them dying shortly after arriving at the military hospital, according to medical staff.
Government forces swiftly secured the area, but no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Officials were unavailable for comment.
The bombing comes a year after a similar incident at the nearby Jale Siyad base, where a suicide bomber killed 25 soldiers.
Sunday’s attack followed the assassination of Colonel Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of battalion 26, in the Hiiran region on Saturday. Local reports suggest infiltration by al-Shabaab militants within government and security forces.