A truck bomb killed at least 90 people and wounded dozens more on the outskirts of Somalia’s capital Saturday morning — the deadliest attack in Mogadishu since a 2017 bombing that killed nearly 600 people.
The blast occurred at a busy checkpoint during the morning rush hour; Saturday is the first day of the workweek in Somꦐalia. The๊ area typically is clogged with traffic as heavily armed security forces check vehicles for explosives and weapons.
Somalia Police Chief Gen. Abdi Hassan Hijiar said the vehicle detonated after police at the che🍎ckpoi🦄nt blocked it from proceeding into the city.
More than 20 of those killed were Benadir University stuꦜdents commuti𓃲ng to class, Mayor Omar Mohamud Mohamed said as rescuers carried bloodied bodies past twisted wreckage.
Multiple report🤡s said the blast leveled buildings in the area and at least 17 Somali police officers were among the dead.
Officials said the death toll is likely to rise.
A nurse at Medina Hospital said that faci🔜lity alone had received more than 100 wounded people. Addition𝔍al wounded were sent to other hospitals.
Hundreds of Mogadishu residents donated blo🎐od in r💫esponse to desperate appeals.
The target may have been Turkish enginee༺rs who were in a vehicle near the busy security checkpoint𝓰 where the truck exploded, . Two Turkish brothers and two other foreign nationals were among the dead.
Turkey has been a major donor𝔍 to Somalia since a 2011 ♛famine. The NATO country is working with the government of Qatar in funding a number of infrastructure and medical projects in the country. Turkey also trains Somali soldiers at a military base in Mogadishu.
No one has claimed responsibility for ꦿthe attack, but Mohamed blamed the Islamist group al Shabaab. The al Qa🗹eda-linked terrorists have claimed multiple recent smaller bombings and were also blamed for the 2017 blast.
The group has sometimes not claimed responsibilit🅘y for attacks that sparked a big public backlash.
With Post wires