Mogadishu [Somalia], May 19: At least 13 people have been killed in a suicide attack in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said on Sunday.
The attacker gained access to a military facility where he blew himself up among 200 young men looking to be recruited by the army, police told DPA.
The al-Shabaab militia, an insurgent group seeking an Islamist state in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack. Another 16 people were injured with the number of fatalities expected to rise further, according to police.
The sound of the explosion could be heard in several parts of the city.
"There was a loud explosion, and immediately people began running in all directions. Bodies were everywhere," said Abdulkadir Hassan Mohamed, a tuk-tuk driver who witnessed the blast told AP.
Teenagers were lining up at the base's gate when the suicide bomber detonated the explosives, witnesses told Reuters.
Abdisalan Mohamed said he had seen "hundreds of teenagers at the gate as we passed by in a bus".
"Abruptly, a deafening blast occurred, and the area was covered by dense smoke. We could not see the details of casualties," he added.
Dozens of abandoned shoes and the remains of the suicide bomber remained visible at the scene.
Al-Shabaab claimed on its radio station to have killed dozens of new recruits. The group, which is linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network, accused the government of exploiting unemployed young people to send them to fight against the militia.
Al-Shabaab has been carrying out attacks in Somalia and beyond for years to establish a theocracy based on Sharia law.
In recent weeks, fighting has been flared up again between government troops and the militia, particularly in the south and centre of the country.
Source: Qatar Tribune
