At least 70 dead in Somalia truck bombing

[News_Editor]

At least 70 dead in Somalia truck bombing

2011-10-06 00:54:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 70 people have been killed after a truck bomb hit a government building in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Tuesday, officials said on Wednesday.

According to reports, the large truck carrying explosives detonated at a checkpoint which leads to a government unit that houses a number of ministries in Mogadishu, causing heavy damage to the compound's buildings.

The powerful blast left several vehicles burning and dozens of bodies scattered in the area. Among the deceased - in addition to several soldiers - were several students waiting to take an exam near the Education Ministry to seek academic scholarships to study abroad in Turkey.

At least 70 people were killed while more than 50 others were injured, although officials fear the death toll could still rise. The Somali militant group al-Shabaab immediately claimed responsibility for the attack through its spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamed Rage.

Al-Shabaab was the militant wing of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts that took over most of southern Somalia in the second half of 2006. Despite efforts from the Somali and Ethiopian government, the group has continued its violent insurgency in southern and central Somalia.

In addition, the al Qaida-linked group was likely responsible for a wave of five coordinated suicide car bombings in October 2008 that simultaneously hit targets in two cities in northern Somalia, killing at least 26 people and injuring 29 others. Al-Shabaab has been accused of conducting the twin suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, on July 11, 2010, that killed more than 70 people.

However, in early August, al-Shabaab announced their retreat from Mogadishu's war-ravaged city following fierce clashes with government forces and the African Union. The group's spokesperson said at that time that they had withdrawn in order to save civilian lives but vowed launching operations against government and African Union forces.

Somalia has not had an effective government since Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown two decades ago.

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