Mogadishu car bomb attacks kill at least 100

MOGADISHU — Twin car bomb explosions targeting Somalia's Education Ministry building on Saturday killed at least 100 people and injured more than 300 others, the country's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Sunday.

After visiting the bombing site early Sunday, Mohamud said the fatalities would likely rise.

According to police, a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into the education ministry building located at a busy junction, followed by gunfire. Another blast later occurred in the same area.

Several government offices, hotels and restaurants are situated near the bomb site.

An unspecified number of people, including journalists and police officers, were among the casualties, said Sadiq Dudishe, spokesperson of the Somali Police Force.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab extremist group, which often targets the capital and controls large parts of the country, claimed responsibility.

President Mohamud, who has declared an all-out war against the militants, vowed to step up the onslaught against the terrorists behind a series of attacks in Somalia.

Somalia's Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre condemned the attack, saying such action by al-Shabaab will not stop the government's commitment to eradicating terrorism in any form.

The blasts came as the Somali president and leaders of the federal member states, including security officials, were meeting to discuss ongoing offensive operations against al-Shabaab.

Extending its condolences to the families of the victims, the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia said it "wishes a speedy recovery for those injured".

The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia called for sustained military operations against the insurgents to suppress terrorists attacks in the country.

"These attacks underline the urgency and critical importance of the ongoing military offensive to further degrade al-Shabaab," the AU Transition Mission in Somalia tweeted late on Saturday.

The attack occurred at the same location where a truck packed with explosives blew up in October 2017, killing 587 people, in the country's deadliest attack.

Xinhua - Agencies