A suicide bomber detonated his vest inside a military training camp in Mogadishu today, a day after an attack on the army chief's convoy, a military official said.

"A suicide bomber disguised as a member of the military managed to enter inside the training camp... several soldiers were killed and others wounded but we have not established the exact number so far," Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Abdirahman told AFP.

The training camp in the south of the capital is one of the largest in the country.

Yesterday, a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a convoy carrying army chief Ahmed Mohamed Jimale who was named to the post last week by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.

The new leader, also known as Farmajo, last week declared a fresh war against Al-Shabaab militants.

The Al-Qaeda-linked extremists claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the military chief had "narrowly escaped" the blast which left at least 10 people dead.

While Shabaab have lost large swathes of territory and were forced out of Mogadishu by African Union troops in 2011, they continue to strike in the capital and countryside.

There has been an uptick in attacks over the past week, with a car bomb in Mogadishu that left seven people dead Wednesday, a landmine that killed 19 on Thursday and a mortar strike which left three dead on Friday.

The president, who took office in February, on Thursday announced "a state of war in the country" and gave Shabaab fighters 60 days to surrender or "face the consequences". </s> Somali military officials say a suicide bomber has attacked a military training camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the capital, killing several soldiers and wounding others.

Authorities say the bomber, disguised in a military uniform, walked into the training camp Monday and detonated his explosives.

The attack came a day after the new Somali army chief, General Ahmed Mohamed Jimale Irfid, survived a suicide car bomb attack that killed at least 15 people near his convoy in Mogadishu.

The blast occurred minutes after new Defense Minister Abdirashid Abdullahi Mohamed and former Army Chief General Mohamed Aden passed through the same road, security sources have confirmed to VOA.

The new Somali army chief had just attended a ceremony at the Defense Ministry where he took over command from General Aden.

Most of the victims of the blast were said to be civilians who were passengers in two minibuses.

The al-Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. </s> MOGADISHU - A suicide bomber wearing army uniform killed at least nine soldiers at a camp in Somalia's capital on Monday, authorities said, and a government official was killed by a bomb planted in his car.

Al Qaeda-linked insurgent group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at the military training camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu.

"An armed suicide bomber with an explosive jacket entered the camp and blew up himself after firing at the soldiers," police officer Nur Hussein said.

A military colonel, asking not to be named, told Reuters: "The suicide bomber blew himself up minutes after the training. At least nine soldiers died and a dozen others were injured. "Some of the injured ones are in serious condition. It is not easy to prevent a militant in military uniform who wants to kill himself."

In another part of the city, a car bomb killed a civil servant, said a spokesman for Mogadishu's mayor, Abdifatah Omar Halane.

On Sunday, an al Shabaab car bomb outside a Mogadishu army base killed at least 15 people.

The group has stepped up its attacks to challenge the new government after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed gave a speech in military uniform declaring "war" on the insurgency.

Somalia has been riven by civil war since 1991, when clan warlords overthrew authoritarian leader Siad Barre and then turned on each other.

In many parts of the country, the conflict has exacerbated the effects of a severe regional drought. The UN says more than half the population of 12 million will need aid by July. </s> MOGADISHU: A suicide bomber wearing army uniform killed at least nine soldiers at a camp in Somalia's capital on Monday, authorities said, and a government official was killed by a bomb planted in his car.

Al Qaeda-linked insurgent group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at the military training camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu.

"An armed suicide bomber with an explosive jacket entered the camp and blew up himself after firing at the soldiers," police officer Nur Hussein said.

A military colonel, asking not to be named, told Reuters: "The suicide bomber blew himself up minutes after the training. At least nine soldiers died and a dozen others were injured.

"Some of the injured ones are in serious condition. It is not easy to prevent a militant in military uniform who wants to kill himself."

In another part of the city, a car bomb killed a civil servant, said a spokesman for Mogadishu's mayor, Abdifatah Omar Halane.

On Sunday, an al Shabaab car bomb outside a Mogadishu army base killed at least 15 people.

The group has stepped up its attacks to challenge the new government after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed gave a speech in military uniform declaring "war" on the insurgency.

Somalia has been riven by civil war since 1991, when clan warlords overthrew authoritarian leader Siad Barre and then turned on each other.

In many parts of the country, the conflict has exacerbated the effects of a severe regional drought. The U.N. says more than half the population of 12 million will need aid by July. </s> A suicide bomber detonated his vest inside a military training camp in Mogadishu Monday, a day after an attack on the army chief’s convoy, a military official said. “A suicide bomber disguised as a member of the military managed to enter inside the training camp… several soldiers were killed and others wounded but we have not established the exact number so far,” Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Abdirahman told AFP. The training camp in the south of the capital is one of the largest in the country.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a convoy carrying army chief Ahmed Mohamed Jimale who was named to the post last week by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. The new leader, also known as Farmajo, last week declared a fresh war against Al-Shabaab militants. The Al-Qaeda-linked extremists claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the military chief had “narrowly escaped” the blast which left at least 10 people dead.

While Shabaab have lost large swathes of territory and were forced out of Mogadishu by African Union troops in 2011, they continue to strike in the capital and countryside. There has been an uptick in attacks over the past week, with a car bomb in Mogadishu that left seven people dead Wednesday, a landmine that killed 19 on Thursday and a mortar strike which left three dead on Friday. The president, who took office in February, on Thursday announced “a state of war in the country” and gave Shabaab fighters 60 days to surrender or “face the consequences”.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now </s> A government official was killed by a bomb planted in his car in Somalia's capital on Monday and a second suicide bomb attack struck a military training camp, officials said.

No one claimed responsibility for the car bomb, but Islamist militant group al Shabaab said it was behind the suicide bombing at the camp in the outskirts of the capital.

"The car bomb killed a junior government worker," the spokesman for Mogadishu's mayor, Abdifatah Omar Halane, said.

An al Shabaab car bomb outside Mogadishu's army base killed at least 15 people on Sunday in a sign the group has stepped up its attacks to challenge the new government.

On Monday, an attacker wearing an army uniform walked into the military training camp and shot at soldiers before detonating his explosive vest.

"An armed suicide bomber with an explosive jacket entered the camp and blew up himself after firing at the soldiers," police officer Nur Hussein told Reuters.

There was no official word on casualties but al Shabaab said two dozen soldiers and their instructors were killed in the attack. The group usually gives a high death toll for its attacks which is usually not easily verifiable.

A Reuters witness saw an ambulance and a military truck carrying uniformed victims from the scene. </s> BOSASO, Somalia - A suicide bomber blew himself up in a military camp in the Somali town of Galkayo on Saturday, killing four officers, officials said, an attack claimed by the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group.

The dead included a military commander and two colonels, the town’s mayor, Hirsi Yusuf Barre, told Reuters.

The camp houses a force made up of soldiers from the country’s semi-autonomous regions of Puntland and Galmudug who have been integrated into the federal army under efforts to unite the fractured country.

Al-Shabaab’s military operation spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, said it killed five people in the attack.

Al-Shabaab is fighting to topple Somalia’s central government and establish its own rule based on its interpretation of Islamic law.

Since withdrawing from Mogadishu in 2011, the group has lost control of most of Somalia’s cities and towns. But it still retains a strong presence in regions outside the capital. </s> A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a Mogadishu army camp Monday, killing at least three soldiers a day after the army chief escaped an attack on his convoy, military sources said.

"The suicide bomber was stopped at the main entrance and he blew himself up. Three soldiers died and several others were wounded," said soldier Abdukadir Farah, who was inside the camp at the time of the attack.

Farah said there had been a meeting of military officials underway at the camp.

But it was not clear if army chief Ahmed Mohamed Jimale was among them, he said.

Military official Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Abdirahman told AFP the attacker had been "disguised as a member of the military" to gain access to the training camp.

The attack was claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab extremist group, which said that "tens" of people had been killed.

The training camp in the south of the capital is one of the largest in the country.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a convoy carrying Jimale, who was named to the post last week by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo.

The Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the military chief had "narrowly escaped" the blast. A senior army official separately said the attack left at least 10 people dead.

Farmajo, who took office in February, also named new police and intelligence chiefs in a speech Thursday in which he declared a fresh war against Al-Shabaab militants.

"I am announcing a state of war in the country and call on the public to stand with the national army to help fight terrorists," he said.

"We are very sorry for those kids who have been misled, and we are offering the Shabaab fighters an ultimatum of 60 days to surrender otherwise they will face the consequences," he said.

While Shabaab have lost large swathes of territory and were forced out of Mogadishu by African Union troops in 2011, they continue to strike in the capital and countryside.

There has been an uptick in attacks over the past week, with a car bomb in Mogadishu that left seven people dead Wednesday, a landmine that killed 19 on Thursday and a mortar strike which left three dead on Friday.

Shortly after Farmajo's election, the Shabaab threatened to wage "vicious war" against his new administration.

Somalia's fragile central government is still propped up by the international community and a 22,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force after nearly three decades of civil war and anarchy.

During his inauguration, Farmajo warned there would be no quick fixes for the troubled country -- also on the brink of famine.

"Your problems were created during 20 years of conflict and droughts. A solution will need more than another 20 years," he said. </s> A suicide car bomb exploded outside a military base for Ethiopian soldiers in southern Somalia on Saturday, leaving an unspecified number of casualties, a police official said.

Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the assault and said it had killed 16 Ethiopian soldiers, although the claim could not be independently verified.

A local elder who witnessed the attack told Reuters the explosion had killed 10 people including soldiers and civilians. "The mini bus was very dusty, it must have come from a far region, it was fired (on) as it started speeding up," he said.

Police officer Major Nur Abdullahi told Reuters from the town of Bardheere where the attack occurred that the vehicle involved was a mini bus carrying vegetables as a disguise.
A suicide bomber attacks a military training camp in Mogadishu, killing at least nine soldiers. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.