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Death toll rises to over 300 in Mogadishu truck bombing
Other | Monday 16th October 2017 |
According to reports more than 300 hundred people have been confirmed dead with another 400 severely injured in a truck bombing in the city of Mogadishu.
The truck is said to have been packed with half a ton of homemade explosive and has been labelled as the “deadliest terror attack ever” in Somalia.
The attack is believed to have been committed by a group linked with al-Qaida, known as al-Shabaab, although there has not been any official claim of responsibility as of yet. This attack comes after al-Shabaab threatened to up their attacks earlier this year. After Donald Trump and the Somalian Prime Minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, announced plans to take stronger military action against the group.
The roots of the organisation lie in the Islam Court Union, which controlled Somalia till the mid-2000s. As a result, al-Shabaab is strongly opposed to the Western-backed government that currently holds power in Somalia. Al-Shabaab’s aim is to bring the country back into the fold of extremist beliefs. Aiming to ban western customs such as, drinking, smoking and even watching television.
Somalia is not the only country which has been under attack from al-Shabaab. In 2015 they attacked the Garissa University College in Kenya, killing close to 150 people and taking several students hostage.
During the investigation of the blast, local officials have stated that over 160 bodies have already been buried by the government. Explaining that they weren’t in a state to be identified, or there was no one to identify them.
In memory of all the innocent lives lost, Prime Minister Mohamed has declared three days of mourning. As well as urging fellow Somalians to donate blood for the injured.
Closer to home, Jeremy Corbyn has also commented saying he was ‘devastated to hear about the horrific terror attack, that claimed so many lives.’ Further stating that his thoughts are with the victims and their families.
