A catastrophic explosion shakes Somalia’s capital Mogadishu: Witnesses | Stories

At least 5 people have been killed and 23 others injured in a bomb blast near al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab.

At least five people have been killed in a massive explosion that shook the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses and officials said.

The blast this morning on Thursda near the K4 intersection in the center of the city caused a lot of smoke, witnesses said, adding that they heard gunshots.

“So far we know that five people have been killed and another 23 (injured),” Abdikadir Abdirahman, head of Aamin Ambulance services, told Reuters.

Mohamed Hussein, a nurse at a nearby Osman hospital, told Reuters he was “shocked by the explosion, then knocked over by a shotgun that followed.”

Hussein claimed to have removed him from the mud of the collapsed roof. “The walls of our hospital collapsed. Against us is the school that also collapsed. I don’t know how many people died, ”he said.

The explosion shattered the walls of neighboring schools and damaged vehicles.

The Somali militant group al-Shabab blames the perpetrators. Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, a spokesman for the group’s military, told Reuters that the blast was aimed at the United Nations.

The al-Qaeda-linked militant group said in a statement from Andalus radio that it was leaving after Western officials were escorted by the African Union peacekeeping force.

Al-Shabab has been fighting the Somali government for years to enforce its rule based on its strong interpretation of sharia law.