At least 16 people were killed and over 30 injured on Saturday in a suicide attack at a military base in Somalia.
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“A minibus loaded with explosives was detonated inside the training part of the military camp”, Mohamed Abisalad, a Somali military official in Kismayo, said.
The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it had killed “one hundred apostate militia”. “May Allah accept him”, the group said in a statement cited by AFP.
The blast occurred inside a former university building on the outskirts of Kismayo, where African Union peacekeepers from Kenya and Somali soldiers are stationed, officials said on Saturday.
Somalia has been the scene of deadly clashes between government forces and Takfiri al-Shabab militants since 2006. For example, AP reported 10 soldiers had been killed by the militants in Kismayo. Military officials said the attack was launched as soldiers were lining up for training. Two of the assailants died, while two suspects were arrested and are being interrogated by Somalia security officials, Amisom said. Three of the mission’s trainers were also wounded, it said.
African Union troops are working with Somalian military forces to combat al-Shabab in Somalia.
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Al Shabaab insurgents have staged a string of assaults in their fight to overthrow the country’s internationally-backed government.
