1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Terrorism

Several dead in Mogadishu car bombing

September 2, 2018

At least six people have been killed in a car bombing at a local government office in Somalia's capital. Militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the blast, which also destroyed a mosque and an Islamic school.

A mangled rickshaw damaged in the blast
Image: Reuters/F. Omar

A suicide car bombing killed at least six people, including two children, outside a district headquarters in central Mogadishu on Sunday.

Authorities said the attacker detonated his explosive-laden vehicle after security forces stopped him at a checkpoint at the gate of the Hawlwadag local government office.

A spokesman for the mayor's office said the three soldiers who stopped the car died instantly, along with three civilians.

Read moreLife in Somalia under peacekeepers and al-Shabab threats

Civilians assess the damage at the blast site outside the district office of HawlwadagImage: Reuters/F. Omar

Fourteen people, including the deputy district commissioner, were critically injured.

Many of the victims were students at a nearby Islamic school that collapsed in the blast. A mosque and the local government headquarters were also brought down. Officials warned the death toll could rise.

Read moreWhen al-Qaida brought terror to East Africa

Smoke rises from the site of the blast, which destroyed several buildings in central MogadishuImage: Reuters/Munasar Mohamed

Al-Shabab claims attack

Islamist extremist group al-Shabab later claimed responsibility for the explosion.

"We are behind the suicide attack," al-Shabab's military operations spokesman said. "We targeted the district office in which there was a meeting. We killed 10 people so far. We shall give details later."

Al-Shabab frequently stages attacks in the capital in an attempt to topple the internationally backed government. In October last year, the militant group carried out a truck bombing that killed more than 500 people.

In 2007, a 20,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force was deployed to Somalia under a UN mandate to bolster the government. Somali troops are meant to take over responsibility for the country's security in the coming years.

Read moreEscape from al-Shabab: 'I was turned into a sex slave'

nm/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

Skip next section Explore more
Skip next section DW's Top Story

DW's Top Story

Skip next section More stories from DW