On Monday, a suicide bomber carried out an attack inside a military academy in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, resulting in the deaths of at least 13 soldiers and leaving at least 20 others wounded, as reported by a soldier who witnessed the aftermath. The al Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Despite a military campaign launched by government forces and allied militiamen last year, which succeeded in pushing the al Qaeda-linked group out of significant portions of southern Somalia, the militants have persisted in launching deadly raids.
In recent weeks, with the military campaign against them stalled as the army readies for a second phase of the offensive, al Shabaab fighters have intensified their attacks. Notably, in late May, they killed at least 54 Ugandan peacekeepers at a base south of Mogadishu, laid siege to Baidoa for nearly two weeks, and carried out several raids in Mogadishu this month.
The recent bombing specifically targeted the Jale Siyaad military academy, and the casualties included soldiers who had traveled from the Lower Shabelle region to the capital for training. Captain Ali Farah, who knew some of the victims, reported that he was aware of at least 10 deaths thus far.
“The soldiers were being counted in the queue when the suicide bomber blew himself up,” Farah said.
In a statement, Al Shabaab claimed that the bomber had injured 124 people in addition to killing 73 soldiers. Usually, the group provides casualty estimates that are far higher than those made available by the authorities.
Since 2006, Al Shabaab has fought to overthrow Somalia’s national government and install its own system of governance based on a strict application of Islamic Sharia law.