MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – At least 25 people were killed and more than 50 others wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of recruits outside a military base in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu on Tuesday.
Hundreds of youths driven by the need to find work queued up outside Dhago-badan recruiting station early in the morning before unidentified man detonated an explosive vest among the packed crowd, a military official has told Somaliguardian.
The attack undercuts efforts by Somalia’s government to beef up security ahead of elections scheduled to be held within two months.
At least 25 recruits are confirmed to have been killed and more than 50 others wounded in the attack, the deadliest to take place in Mogadishu over the past few months.
Soldiers, who were guarding the base, are among the dead, witnesses said on Tuesday.
Somalia’s government and some of its international partners, including Turkey condemned the blast which comes as the country heads to the polls late in July following an agreement signed by the prime minister and regional presidents ending months-long impasse.
Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group Al-Shabaab said it had carried out the attack, claiming to have killed 40 recruits, a figure which has yet to be confirmed by the government.
Madina Hospital director told reporters on Tuesday that 45 patients sustaining injuries from the explosion had been admitted to the medical facility. Other hospitals in Mogadishu are also treating a number of people for wounds after suicide explosion rocked a military installation in the city.
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