Four Somali soldiers killed in Al-Shabaab attack near military training academy

MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least four Somali National Army (SNA) officers were killed following an al-Shabaab attack within the vicinity of the Jaalle Siyaad military academy, witnesses said, noting that many others were injured after the suicide bomber unleashed.

Junior military officers are among the victims. The targeted soldiers belong to the 14th October Brigade, which was created in commemoration of the victims of the single deadliest terrorist attack in Africa at Mogadishu’s K-5 junction on October 14, 2017, which killed nearly 600 people, officials said.

Incidentally, this is the same brigade that an al-Shabaab suicide bomber targeted two years ago this month, killing 25 soldiers and injuring more than 70 others. The 2023 attack was widely condemned by various stakeholders.

At that time, the government arrested three soldiers, including a Colonel, but nobody faced prosecution publicly. The investigations report into the 2023 attack has never been released to the members of the public.

Multiple sources reported that the suicide bombing took place in a tea shop within the vicinity of Jaalle Siyaad military academy just before 11 am local time. Multiple fatalities were reported, including the suicide bomber.

Somalia's defense ministry said officials were investigating an explosion at a military training school in the capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, an incident claimed by the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group as a suicide attack.

Al-Shabab, which has long staged deadly attacks in Somalia against both government and civilian targets, said a suicide bomber targeted a Western delegation that was training recruits.

“The suicide bomber was wearing a suicide vest and was intercepted before reaching his target. He blew himself up, causing minimal casualties,” Adan Hassan, one of the recruits and a witness, told The Associated Press by phone.

Al-Shabab frequently targets military installations as part of its insurgency, aiming to topple the Somali government and impose its strict version of Islamic law.

The Somali government in recent months has intensified security operations to crack down on militants. Last week, government forces conducted an operation in the central Hiran region where al-Shabab militants had taken key towns and villages, Reuters reports.

GAROWE ONLINE