Somali military academy attacked, 5 dead
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Militant group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Somali military academy that left at least five soldiers dead.
A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a military academy west of Somalia’s capital, killing at least five soldiers, a military officer says.
The bomber dressed in a military uniform walked into the Somali military training camp on Monday morning and detonated explosives strapped to his waist near soldiers and officers, Colonel Abdi Hassan said.
The bomber, posing as a military trainee, had crossed the gate checkpoint and targeted soldiers and officers resting after their daily military exercises.
Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabaab, have claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a separate incident on Monday, a government worker was killed after a bomb in his car was detonated by remote control in Mogadishu’s Hamarweyne district, police say.
Abdikadir Osman, an officer with the education minister immediately died before medics took to a hospital.
Al-Shabaab, which is allied to al-Qaida, has stepped up its campaign of bombings in Mogadishu in recent weeks.
New President Mohmed Abdullahi Mohamed has named a new military chief and other officials in an attempt to improve the worsening security situation.
Al-Shabaab has denounced the new president as an “apostate” and warned Somalis against supporting him.
The Trump administration approved greater US military authority to pursue al-Shabaab, including more aggressive airstrikes as parts of southern Somalia will be considered areas of active hostilities.
Source:AAP