Militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s explosion outside a school in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.
The explosion killed at least eight people, including school children as emergency workers continue search for more victims.
17 others are reported to have been wounded, according to police spokesman Abdifatah Adam Hassan.
“We counted eight dead people and 17 others including 13 students injured,” Hassan told Reuters news agency.
The blast happened during the morning rush hour near the busy Kilometre Four junction., according to eyewitnesses.
This is a tragedy. The explosion took place in front of Mucassar school at Hodan district in Mogadishu killing and injuring stidents and civilians near by.@HarunMaruf @HannaAli pic.twitter.com/mGW6uLTvp7
— Dr. Abdulkadir Adan (@DrAadem) November 25, 2021
Abdulkadir Adan of the Amin ambulance service, who has been helping rush people to a hospital is quoted by the AP as saying that “This is a tragedy.”
Al-Shabab said in a statement that it carried out the attack and was targeting Western officials being escorted by the African Union peacekeeping convoy.
The AU peacekeeping force was to withdraw from the country, but its mission is now likely to be extended.
Al-Shabab wants to topple the UN backed regime in Somalia and impose a strict Islamic law (Sharia) on the country.
It has been responsible for many deaths in Somalia and the East African region.
Source: Africafeeds.com
