According to a statement released by the president of Somalia early on Sunday morning, at least one hundred persons were murdered and three hundred others were injured when two car bombs exploded on Saturday in front of the education ministry in Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu.
After visiting the scene of the explosion, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stated that among the victims of the massacre were “mothers with their children in their arms, fathers who had medical conditions, students who were sent to study, businessmen who were struggling with the life of their families.”
Although the president placed blame on the Islamist group al Shabaab for the attack, no one immediately came out to claim responsibility for it. In most cases, Al Shabaab will refrain from admitting responsibility for assaults that result in a significant number of fatalities.
The education ministry in Mogadishu was struck by the initial explosion, which occurred close to a busy intersection in the city. The second incident happened as people were gathering to assist the injured and ambulances were arriving on the scene.
The blast wave shattered the windows of the nearby buildings. The asphalt just in front of the structure was stained with blood.
The incident took place in the same location as Somalia’s deadliest bombing, which occurred in the same month in 2017 and claimed the lives of more than 500 people. During that explosion, a truck bomb went off in front of a bustling hotel at the K5 junction, which is surrounded by government offices, restaurants, and kiosks.
Mohamud indicated that the number of casualties might increase. He had given orders to the administration to offer rapid medical help to those who had been hurt, some of whom were in critical condition.
