At least 20 dead as blast rocks Somalia’s capital
Posted October 14, 2017 6:20 am.
Last Updated October 14, 2017 7:21 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (NEWS 1130) – A huge explosion from a truck bomb killed at least 20 people in Somalia’s capital, police say, as shaken residents called it the most powerful blast they’d heard in years. Capt. Mohamed Hussein says more than 15 others are injured.
The explosion appeared to target a hotel on a busy road in Hodan district and the death toll could rise further. Security forces had been trailing the truck after it raised suspicions, he explains.
The blast occurred two days after the head of the US Africa Command was in Mogadishu to meet with Somalia’s president, and two days after the country’s defence minister and army chief resigned.
The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab recently stepped up attacks on army bases across south and central Somalia. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday’s blast, al-Shabab often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu with deadly bombings.
The US military has stepped up drone strikes and other efforts this year against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, which is also fighting the Somali military and over 20,000 African Union forces in the country.
The blast is the largest heard in Mogadishu in recent memory.
