Suicide bombing in Somali capital kills at least 13 soldiers

Houses destroyed after a car bomb attack in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 30, 2022

The Al-Shabaab group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to a source, the men were from the Lower Shabelle region and had come to the capital for training. The bombing occurred as soldiers were lining up for roll call.

The militant group Al-Shabaab said the bombing killed 73 soldiers and wounded 124. The group often gives higher casualty figures than official figures.

Al-Shabaab has been waging an insurgency against the federal government in Somalia for the past 15 years. Although African Union (AU) forces have driven Al-Shabaab from Somalia’s major towns and cities, the group still controls large swaths of rural territory and continues to carry out attacks on security and civilian targets.

Al-Shabaab militants have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks as the military pauses its campaign against the militants to prepare for the next phase. In late May, the militants killed at least 54 Ugandan peacekeepers at a base south of Mogadishu. For nearly two weeks, the group has been besieging Baidoa, one of Somalia’s largest cities. Al-Shabaab also carried out a series of raids in Mogadishu this month.

According to VNA