Hours before the South Korea stampede, the President of Somalia held a press conference and told the world about the twin bombings. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said at least 100 casualties are confirmed, and around 300 people have sustained injuries.
The president has pointed the finger at the hyper-active al-Shabab armed group for these attacks. Sheikh, based on the intensity, said that this a matter of serious concern and it leaves a direct impact on the national security and sovereignty of the country.
Young children, old age, adults, and women at large amount were present in these areas. Many women with children in their arms died in the blast. This tragic incident took away loved ones from dozens of people and left permanent marks on the lives of many.
As per the reports, the attack at the Sobe intersection was a direct target to destroy the education ministry and a nearby school. A police officer told the Reuters news agency that the first explosion destroyed the ministry, and when the ambulances arrived, a second blast occurred.
At the crime scene, it was even hard to count the number of bodies because of the debris and bodies in a large amount all over. The blast completely destroyed the street and the perimeter wall of the education ministry.
There were shops of many small-scale businessmen, and now nothing has left. As far as vision goes, only debris, a destroyed building, dead bodies, and blood is visible. All this happened in a place where the people were trying to earn their bread and butter with their hard work and had nothing to do with the violence.
Many people are showing their anger on Twitter and grieving about the people who were killed.
Moreover, the reporters who were present at the crime scene explained that the timeline of the blasts was just a few minutes apart. Within minutes two heavy explosive blasts speared the buildings and people. The intensity was so high that the windows of some buildings that were far away from the blast site were smashed.
The director Abdulkadir Adan tweeted that an ambulance driver was injured in this incident, and his ambulance was destroyed completely. First aid workers were also among the injured.
One Ameen Ambulance driver was injured when his ambulance was completely destroyed. Our team was attempting to help the victims who were caught in an explosion attack against Ministry of Education building. It is very sad incident that the second explosion hit out vehicle.
— Dr. Abdulkadir Adan (@DrAadem) October 29, 2022
The United Nations is following the latest developments in Somalia. Over the weekend, they denounced Saturday’s “vicious attack” and offered their condolences to the victims’ families.
Turkey also condemned what they called a “heinous attack,” while Qatar said they firmly reject violence and terrorism. The country expressed its condolences for the injuries suffered and wished for a speedy recovery for those who were hurt.
Al-Shabab, backed by al-Qaeda, wants to overthrow the central government of Somalia and establish its own rule with a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
For years, Al-Shabaab has been using bombings as a projectile weapon, whether in Somalia or elsewhere. Targets have ranged from military installations to hotels and shopping centers, with public areas like traffic routes also being hit.
