MOGADISHU: At least six persons lost their lives while several others were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up amongst a group of security officials outside the office of Somali prime minister on Tuesday, army officials said. It is believed that many of those killed or injured were soldiers or police.
A Somali military official Abdukadir Ali, who stayed near the scene of the attack in central Mogadishu, said that “I saw the dead bodies of six people and several others were injured.”
“The bomber was sitting near a perimeter wall and detonated himself in the midst of a group of security forces,” Ali added. “There was chaos, smoke and pieces of human flesh.”
Officials said that Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon Said was in his office at the time when the attacker struck, but he was not harmed by the blast. “The area was closed down by the security forces… I saw several dead soldiers and others injured being rushed to hospital,” said Mohamed Hussein, a witness.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but the Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents have conducted a series of guerrilla style attacks in the capital.
The insurgents have vowed to topple newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who took office in September after being chosen by the country’s new parliament, bringing an end to eight years of transitional rule.
DND
