Terrorism has once again tragically struck Somalia. A double car bomb attack, which targeted the Ministry of Education in the capital Mogadishu on Saturday, killed 100 people according to the presidency. The police denounced acts of “ruthless terrorists”.
The two “simultaneous explosions” occurred on a road alongside the ministry and caused “several victims”, said Sadik Dudishe, spokesman for the Somali police, earlier. According to him, the assailants targeted “students and other civilians”.
An attack not yet claimed
One of the vehicles filled with explosives managed to enter the compound of the ministry, triggering shots, said another policeman Ibrahim Mohamed. “A few minutes later, another explosion occurred in the same area,” he added.
This kind of attack – which was not immediately claimed – is generally attributed by the Somali authorities to Al-Shabaab jihadist militants who regularly carry out attacks in the capital and the country’s major cities. The Islamist group, linked to Al-Qaeda, has been fighting the federal government supported by the international community since 2007. It was driven out of the main cities – including Mogadishu in 2011 – but remains firmly established in large rural areas, especially in the south of the country.