Mogadishu, Somalia – A deadly suicide bombing rocked Somalia’s capital on Sunday, leaving at least 10 people dead and dozens wounded in a targeted attack on a military recruitment centre in Mogadishu.

According to eyewitness accounts and local officials, the blast occurred at the Damanyo military base where young Somali men had gathered to enlist. The attacker detonated explosives while recruits were queuing outside the facility.

“I saw hundreds of teenagers at the gate,” said Abdisalan Mohamed, a witness who was passing by in a bus when the explosion occurred. “Then, suddenly, a huge blast shook the area. There was smoke everywhere — we couldn’t even see what had happened.”

A military officer identified as Captain Suleiman told WafricNews he was across the street when a tuk-tuk pulled up and a man jumped out, ran toward the line of recruits, and detonated the bomb.

“I counted at least 10 bodies, including young recruits and civilians,” he said. “The number may rise as many are critically injured.”

Medical teams at a nearby military hospital reported receiving at least 30 wounded victims. Six of them were declared dead upon arrival. Another official source cited by Turkish media outlet Anadolu put the death toll at 11.

Dozens of bloodied shoes and the mangled remains of the suicide bomber were left scattered around the site of the attack, highlighting the scale of devastation.

While no group has yet claimed responsibility, the incident bears the hallmarks of previous suicide bombings carried out by al-Shabab, the al-Qaeda-linked armed group that has waged a brutal insurgency in Somalia for nearly 20 years.

The Damanyo attack echoes a similar bombing in 2023 when 25 soldiers were killed at the nearby Jale Siyad base.

The bombing also came just a day after the assassination of Colonel Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of Battalion 26, in the Hiiran region — a killing that has stirred renewed concerns about al-Shabab’s deep infiltration into Somalia’s security and government ranks.

Sunday’s attack underscores the fragile security situation in Mogadishu despite ongoing efforts by Somali and African Union forces to stabilize the country. Authorities quickly sealed off the area, but the brazen nature of the bombing — at a key military installation in the heart of the capital — raises serious questions about intelligence lapses and recruitment safety protocols.

Somalia’s government has yet to issue a detailed statement, but pressure is mounting on leaders in Mogadishu to ramp up counterterror operations and improve protection at strategic sites.

Al-Shabab continues to target both civilian and military infrastructure in its attempt to topple the federal government and impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law. The group’s resilience, despite years of international military intervention, remains a pressing challenge for Somalia and its regional allies.


By WafricNews Desk.