There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the December (blast) **********Credit: EPA
**************************************************************************************************************************************An explosion at a busy checkpoint in Somalia’s capital wounded dozens on SaturdayCredit: AP: Associated Press
The injured were transported to Medina Hospital in the capital: Credit: Reuters
The dead included many students traveling on a bus and two Turkish brothers, officials said.
A large black plume of smoke rose above the city in what was the deadliest attack in Mogadishu since a bombing which killed hundreds, reports the Associated Press.
A Somali MP also tweeted that the death toll had spiralled to more than 96, including cops – however that number has since been downgraded to (**********************************************************************************************************************************. ***
At least people were wounded, Aamin Ambulance service director Abdiqadir Abdulrahman said, and hundreds of locals donated blood in response to desperate appeals.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed condemned the attack as a “heinous act of terror” and blamed the local al-Shabab extremist group.
The warped terror cult linked to al-Qaida was pushed out of Mogadishu several years ago but continues to target high-profile areas such as checkpoints and hotels in the seaside city.
Kids were injured by the massive truck bomb, along with university students, Captain Hussein said.
All I could see was scattered dead bodies, and some of them burned beyond recognition.
Truck bomb survivor, Sakariye Abdukadir
Gruesome photos of the scene show the twisted metal of burnt-out vehicles – some covered in blood – in the street.
Somalia’s police chief General Abdi Hassan Hijar said the truck detonated after police at the checkpoint blocked it from proceeding into the city.
An adviser to the capital, Hodan Ali, toldAl Jazeera: “There are many casualties as well, so the death toll is expected to rise.”
Sakariye Abdukadir – who witnessed the explosion – said it had “destroyed several of my car windows.
“All I could see was scattered dead bodies … amid the blast, and some of them burned beyond recognition.”
**********************No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blastCredit: AP: Associated Press
********************************************************************************************************************************************The police were not reachable for comment on casualty numbersCredit: AP: Associated Press
Photos from the scene showed the mangled frames of vehiclesCredit: Reuters************************************
600The injured were transported to Medina HospitalCredit: Reuters Sabdow Ali, 64, who lives nearby, told Reuters that he had left his house after hearing the explosion and counted at least 13 dead people.
“Dozens of injured people were screaming for help, but the police immediately opened fire and I rushed back to my house,” he added.
The injured were transported to Medina Hospital, where a Reuters witness saw dozens arriving by ambulance from the scene.
**************************** ‘FACE MY DEMONS HEAD ON’
(Star of reality show My) **************************************************************************************************************************** – lb Life dies agedin ‘suicide’
****************************************************************************************************************************The Horn of Africa country has been riven by conflict since (***********************************************************************************************************************, when clan warlords overthrew dict ator Siad BarreCredit: AFP or licensors**************************************************************************************Read More
**************************************************************************************************************************************An explosion at a busy checkpoint in Somalia’s capital wounded dozens on SaturdayCredit: AP: Associated Press(**************************************** (************************************** **************************************************
(CHILLING FIND) ********************************************
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