Blast in Somali capital kills at least 90 people
>>MOGADISHU: A truck bomb exploded at a busy security checkpoint in Somalia’s capital yesterday morning, killing at least 90 people, officials said. It was one of the deadliest attacks in Mogadishu in recent memory.
The toll was likely to rise as scores of people were rushed to hospitals, government spokesman Ismail Mukhtar told The Associated Press. Mayor Omar Mohamud Mohamed, speaking at the scene, said at least 90 people were wounded, including children.
The mayor said two Turkish nationals and many university students were among those killed.
Capt Mohamed Hussein said the blast targeted a tax collection centre during the morning rush hour as Somalia returned to work after its weekend. Images from the scene showed the mangled frames of vehicles and bodies lying on the ground.
A large black plume of smoke rose above the capital.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab often carries out such attacks. The extremist group was pushed out of Mogadishu several years ago but continues to target high-profile areas such as hotels.
Al-Shabab was blamed for a truck bombing in Mogadishu in Oct 2017 that killed more than 500 people. The group never claimed responsibility for the blast leading to public outrage. Some analysts said al-Shabab didn’t claim credit as its strategy of trying to sway public opinion by exposing government weakness had backfired.