Mogadishu, Somalia – An Al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabaab suicide bomber was shot dead Wednesday night while attempting to enter the General Dhegobadan Military Academy in Mogadishu, according to Somalia’s army.
Security forces opened fire as the bomber tried to breach the academy, located at a former candy factory site, triggering an explosion that left several soldiers injured, the army stated in a brief announcement. Local media offered limited coverage of the incident.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the bombing, asserting they killed 23 soldiers and wounded many others in a successful “martyrdom operation” against the heavily-guarded military academy.
The assault triggered a 24-hour surge of violence in the capital, with Al-Shabaab reportedly carrying out at least five attacks, most involving explosives aimed at security personnel.
One blast struck a school in Mogadishu’s Daynile district on Thursday, where the National Identity and Registration Authority was processing applications for national identification cards. Authorities reported one soldier killed and several others, including civilians waiting in line, were wounded.
The wave of attacks followed a day after former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, now a leading opposition figure, accused the government of misleading Somalis by insisting it can organize a nationwide, one-person-one-vote election. He said officials must first demonstrate they can secure large gatherings of people before pursuing universal suffrage.
