Al-Shabab claims responsibility for attack on Somali military base which killed 8 people, injured 14

Militant group, Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Somali military base in the capital of Mogadishu which left no fewer than eight victims dead and 14 others injured.

Military officials revealed on Saturday that the suicide bomber who was driving a car targeted the gates of the military base near Mogadishu Stadium, causing an extremely loud explosion that was heard across the city.

According to Col Ahmed Muse who spoke with the Associated Press, the explosion took place at the gates of the 12th April Army Brigade base close to the recently reopened sports stadium in the Warta-Nabadda district.

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An eyewitness, Halima Abdisalan, a mother of three who lives near the area told Reuters news agency that soldiers opened fire after the explosion. “We ran indoors in fear,” she said.

Al-Shabab – a group of Islamist militants, allied to Al-Qaeda which often carries out bombings targeting security forces and officials has waged an insurgency in Sudan for more than 10 years. It was forced out of the capital in 2011 but still controls areas of the country.

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