At least 20 soldiers were killed on Monday in a suicide bombing by an Islamist inside a camp for the Somali army in Mogadishu, according to officials and witnesses.
The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab group made the claim for the assault, which took place at the Jaalle Siyad Military Academy.
“More than 20 people died in the explosion,” Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimu, a member of the Somali parliament, told AFP. “The victims are soldiers who were defending their country against terrorists,” he added.
Another parliamentarian, who asked to remain anonymous, reported 27 dead and around 60 injured.
The suicide bomber managed to enter the base where the 14th infantry brigade was about to begin a refresher course and detonated its explosive vest, witnesses said.
“I was in a nearby military camp when the explosion happened. We rushed to the scene, it was horrible,” said Mohamed Hassan, a member of the Somali army. “The investigation is still ongoing and the death toll could be higher”.
Since 2007, the Al-Shabaab organization has been fighting a insurgency of violence against the Somali government.
Despite a major offensive launched in August by forces loyal to the government and supported by African Union soldiers and US aircraft, its militants were forced out of Mogadishu in 2011 but the organization is still a strong force.
Large portions of Somalia are still under the group’s control, and it continually conducts lethal operations against civilian, political, and military targets.