Somalia: Attack kills 10 at Mogadishu army training camp
- Published
This woman outside a hospital in Mogadishu heard that her son was among the victims
A suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people at an army training camp in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.
Many of the injured have been taken to hospital, a witness told the BBC.
The attacker was waiting among new recruits who were queuing up outside the camp, news agency AFP quotes an officer as saying.
No group has said it was behind the attack, but security facilities are a common target for Islamist militant group al-Shabab.
A military officer quoted by state media said that 10 people had died, but a witness at a Mogadishu hospital told the Reuters news agency that he had counted 15 bodies.
Army officer Mohamed Adan saw 15 dead at the camp, AFP reports.
This man was one of the soldiers injured in the attack
Relatives of some of those thought to be caught up in the attack gathered outside the hospital where casualties were being treated.
"My son is dead. I have seen with my eyes. Many boys perished," Reuters quotes Amina Farah as saying.
"They were asked to come for recruitment and then bombed."
Army recruit Ahmed Ali told Reuters that the camp was "overcrowded with new recruits and soldiers when the blast occurred".
The militant group al-Shabab has been operating for more than a decade, fighting for control of the country against the UN-backed government in Mogadishu.
An African Union force is supporting the Somali army.
- Published26 October 2020
