Share

4 dead in blast at district headquarters in Somali capital

At least four people are dead after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the gate of a district headquarters in Mogadishu, a Somali police officer said on Monday.

Captain Mohamed Hussein said the large blast badly damaged the compound of the Hodan district's headquarters.

An Associated Press journalist saw at least seven bodies at the scene.

Hussein said seven other people were wounded, and most of the victims were district workers and soldiers.

This is the second such attack on a district headquarters in the capital this month. The Howlwadag district headquarters was targeted on September 2 and at least six people were killed, including two children.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab extremist group often claims responsibility. The Somalia-based group often targets the capital with bombings, including a truck bombing in October that left at least 512 people dead.

Somali troops are meant to take over the Horn of Africa nation's security in the coming years from an African Union force but concerns about their readiness remain high. The UN Security Council recently voted to delay the reduction of troops in the AU force from October to February and the target date to hand over security to Somali forces to December 2021.

* Sign up to News24's top Africa news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO THE HELLO AFRICA NEWSLETTER

FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 946 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 464 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.80
+1.1%
Rand - Pound
23.49
+1.3%
Rand - Euro
20.10
+1.5%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.28
+1.0%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+2.8%
Platinum
923.40
-0.2%
Palladium
957.50
-3.3%
Gold
2,336.75
+0.2%
Silver
27.20
-0.9%
Brent Crude
89.01
+1.1%
Top 40
69,358
+1.3%
All Share
75,371
+1.4%
Resource 10
62,363
+0.4%
Industrial 25
103,903
+1.3%
Financial 15
16,161
+2.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE