MOGADISHU, Somalia — A suicide bomber targeted a military recruitment center in Somalia’s capital on Sunday, killing at least 10 people and injuring over 30 others, according to witnesses and medical personnel.
The attacker detonated explosives amid a line of young recruits waiting to register at the Damanyo military base in Mogadishu.
Witnesses reported that the bomber arrived in a speeding tuk-tuk, exited the vehicle, and ran into the queue before triggering the blast.
“I was on the other side of the road. A speeding tuk-tuk stopped, a man alighted, ran into the queue, and then blew himself up. I saw 10 people dead, including recruits and passers-by … said Captain Suleiman, a military officer present at the scene.
Medical staff at a nearby military hospital confirmed receiving 30 injured individuals, with six succumbing to their injuries shortly after arrival.
The militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, asserting that they had killed up to 30 soldiers and wounded. These figures have not been independently verified.
This incident mirrors a similar attack in 2023 when a … .
The bombing follows the assassination of Colonel Abdirahmaan, the 26th Brigade of the 27th Division of the Somali National Army, who was fatally shot by one of his own soldiers on Saturday while overseeing operations against al-Shabaab militants in central Somalia.
His death has raised concerns about potential al-Shabaab infiltration within the Somali military.
Al-Shabaab has been waging an insurgency in Somalia since, frequently targeting military and civilian sites in its efforts to destabilize the government.
The group remains active in central Somalia, despite ongoing military operations aimed at curbing its influence.
