Al-Shabaab suicide bomber kills 20 soldiers in Somalia

MOGADISHU: A suicide bomber on Monday struck a military training camp in the Somalian capital Mogadishu, killing at least 20 soldiers, officials said.

The attack at the Jaalle Siyad Military Academy was swiftly claimed by the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group. “Over 20 people were killed in the explosion,” Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimu, a member of the Somali parliament told AFP.

“The victims were not ordinary youths, they were servicemen who stood to defend their country from the terrorists,” Moalimu said, adding that he felt “pity about the tragedy”.

Another legislator, who asked not to be named, said the toll stood at 27 with nearly 60 others wounded. A lone jihadist entered the base, where the 14th infantry brigade were about to begin a refresher training course, and detonated the explosive vest he was wearing, witnesses said.

“I was at a nearby military camp when the blast occurred and we rushed to the scene, it was horrible,” Mohamed Hassan, a member of the Somali army, said.

“There are still investigations going on and the death toll may go higher,” he added. It was not immediately clear how the terrorist gained access into the camp.