Suicide bomber kills 18 at police academy in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU: A suicide bomber disguised as a policeman blew himself up inside a police training camp in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Thursday and killed at least 18 officers, officials said.

Police spokesman Major Mohamed Hussein said the attacker strapped explosives to his body and infiltrated the General Kahiye Police Training Academy during an early morning parade. “Police were preparing for the 74th anniversary of police day. As they wanted to start exercise, a suicide bomber came in and blew up himself. We lost 18 police officers and 15 others were injured,” Muktar Hussein Afrah, Somalia’s deputy police commander, told reporters at the blast scene.

“Police will always continue their work despite death.” Reuters witnesses who attempted to visit the site of the blast said police had sealed it off. Hours later when they were allowed in, a witness saw body parts suspected to be from the bomber on the ground in the field where police officers had been training. The witness said the ground nearby had also been washed to remove blood stains and people were burying bodies at the police academy. The militant Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack and gave a higher death toll.