Truck bomb takes massive toll in Somalia

A truck laden with explosives detonated at a busy checkpoint in Mogadishu on Saturday, killing dozens of people. The number of reported deaths stood at 78 in the aftermath of the attack, but officials expected it to rise as more than 100 people sought treatment for injuries. Many of those killed were students returning to class after the holiday break. Witnesses described bodies and body parts strewn through the street alongside the burned-out frames of vehicles.

Who is behind the attack? The Islamic terror group al-Shabaab did not immediately claim responsibility, but it has carried out similar attacks in recent years. Somalis blame the group for a truck bombing in 2017 that killed more than 500 people in Mogadishu.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about Somalia’s struggle to extinguish Islamic terrorism.