A suicide bomber in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, killed at least 13 soldiers and wounded at least 20 more inside a military academy on Monday in an attack claimed by the al Shabaab militant group.

A military campaign launched by government forces and allied militiamen in 2022 has forced the al Qaeda-linked group from large swathes of territory in southern Somalia, but the militants have continued to stage deadly raids.

In recent weeks, with the military campaign against them stalled as the army prepared a second phase of the offensive, al-Shabaab fighters had stepped up their attacks.

In late May, they killed at least 54 Ugandan peacekeepers at a base south of Mogadishu. For nearly two weeks, they laid siege to Baidoa, one of the country’s largest cities. And they have staged a series of raids in Mogadishu this month.

Blaze Fm