MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) – A large explosion outside a school in Somalia’s capital on Thursday has killed at least five people, including students, witnesses said. The extremist group Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.
The al-Qaida-linked group controls large parts of rural Somalia and continues to frustrate efforts at rebuilding the Horn of Africa nation after three decades of conflict.
The blast sent a plume of smoke above a busy part of Mogadishu during the morning rush hour.
Abdulkadir Adan of the Amin ambulance service confirmed the five deaths to The Associated Press, and the service said at least 15 wounded people were rushed to a hospital.
“This is a tragedy,” he said.