Monday, December 12, 2016
MOGADISHU - More than 20 people were killed Sunday in a suicide truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said, in a fresh strike claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group.
"The tally we have made so far indicates that more than 20 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the blast," said Ibrahim Mohamed, a Somali police commander. He said the toll might rise further as the injured and dead had been taken to different hospitals around the city. It was unclear how many people had been in the vicinity of the blast.
The Shabaab group claimed responsibility in a statement distributed on its Telegram messaging account. It said the target was a military base close to the port and claimed to have killed "nearly 30". The group frequently exaggerates the number killed in its attacks.
The Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government of Somalia and regularly stages deadly attacks on government, military and civilian targets in the capital and elsewhere in the war-torn country. Sunday's attack took place close to the entrance to city port and was large even by Mogadishu's standards.