A deadly suicide bombing rocked the Somali capital, Mogadishu on Sunday, killing and injuring several people outside a military recruitment centre, according to government officials and eyewitnesses.
The attacker, believed to be a member of the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabab, targeted the Xero Damaayo army camp in the city’s Hodon district at around 9:20 am local time. Posing as a civilian, the bomber detonated explosives among a crowd of people gathered outside the facility.
The Ministry of Information confirmed the incident in a statement, saying, “Casualties have been reported but details are still being verified. Security forces are on the scene and have launched an investigation.”
Al-Shabab later claimed responsibility for the blast, stating its fighters had struck individuals “enlisting to join the forces.” Witnesses at the scene described harrowing moments following the explosion. Adan Yare, a Tuktuk driver passing nearby, recounted narrowly escaping the blast.
“I was very lucky because when the explosion occurred, I had already driven past the area. The explosion shook my Tuktuk. When I stopped and looked back, there were several people lying on the ground, some of them dead and others wounded,” he told reporters.
Another witness, Saalim Nur, reported seeing five civilian bodies and described the devastation.
“We were a few hundred metres away in a minibus when it happened. The whole area became rubble—stones and sand were flying everywhere,” he said.
This latest attack highlights the continuing threat posed by Al-Shabab, which has increased the frequency of its operations in recent months. The group, which aims to overthrow Somalia’s federal government, has launched several high-profile assaults, including an attempt on the presidential convoy in March and a mortar attack near Mogadishu airport in April.
The blast shows the fragile security situation in Somalia, a country grappling with political instability, poverty, and the escalating effects of climate change.
