The bomber struck as young men queued to enlist at military base in Somalia

At least 10 people were killed on Sunday when a suicide bomber detonated explosives outside a military base in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. The attacker targeted a line of teenage recruits, where scores of young men were waiting to enlist.

The blast occurred at the entrance of the Damanyo military facility and has been claimed by the militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab.

Witnesses at the scene described a devastating aftermath, with scattered footwear and the remains of the suicide bomber strewn across the area.

A military captain identifying himself as Suleiman described the attack, saying a man exited a speeding tuk-tuk, ran into a queue, and detonated explosives. "I saw 10 people dead, including recruits and passers-by. The death toll may rise," he told Reuters.

Medical personnel at a nearby military hospital confirmed to Reuters that 30 people had been admitted with injuries. Six of them succumbed to their wounds shortly after arrival.

Security forces swiftly cordoned off the blast site, restricting access as emergency services and investigators moved in.

In a statement released the same day, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the bombing, alleging it had killed 30 soldiers and wounded 50 more. The group, which maintains links to Al-Qaeda, has been waging a prolonged insurgency in Somalia since 2007. Government officials have yet to publicly respond to the attack.

The explosion bears similarities to a deadly incident in 2023 when a suicide bomber killed 25 soldiers at the Jale Siyad base, situated directly across from Damanyo.

Sunday's bombing came just one day after the assassination of Colonel Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of Battalion 26, who was killed in Somalia's Hiiran region. The killing occurred amid growing concerns over reported infiltration of government and security ranks by Al-Shabaab operatives.

Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent groups, Al-Shabab in particular, have been carrying out regular attacks in several African states, including those in the Sahel region - Burkina Faso, Mali, and Somalia in East Africa.

(RT.com)