There has been huge increase in death toll from the two successive car bombings in Somalia Saturday.
At least 100 were killed and close to 300 others were injured in the two car bombings according to Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Mohamud made the announcement after visiting the site of the attack in the early hours of Sunday. He appealed to the international community to send doctors and medical supplies to treat the wounded.
Mohamud urged the public to go to the hospitals and donate blood for those injured in the attack.
He also vowed to give free education to the children left behind by the victims killed in Saturday’s attacks as well as the children of deceased victims of other al-Shabab attacks.
The car bombings targeted the Education Ministry, located at one of the busiest intersections in the capital.
In a tweet before visiting the site, Mohamud condemned the attack, saying it was a “cruel & cowardly terrorist attack on innocent people by the morally bankrupt & criminal Al-Shabab group.”
He vowed the attack will not discourage efforts by the government and the country’s people.
“Our government & brave people will continue to defend #Somalia against evil,” he tweeted.
Among those killed in the explosions is local journalist Mohamed Isse Koona. VOA Somali reporter Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle, and Reuters photojournalist Feisal Omar were wounded in the explosions.
The attack took place at Zobe junction, site of the October 14, 2017, truck bombing, the deadliest single day terror attack in Africa, which killed and injured 1,000 people. In that attack al-Shabab did not claim responsibility, although an al-Shabab operative was convicted and later executed for coordinating the attack.
This time al-Shabab immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings.
This latest attack comes as government forces supported by local fighters continue multifront offensives to recover territories from the group in south-central Somalia.
