Explosions near Somalia’s education ministry kill 100 people

CNN
 — 

At least 100 people were killed after two car bombs exploded near Somalia’s education ministry in the capital Mogadishu on Saturday.

More than 300 others were wounded in the attack, said Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a video statement posted on his official Twitter account.

Mohamud claimed the al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia was responsible.

“Today’s cruel and cowardly terrorist attack on innocent people by the morally bankrupt and criminal al-Shabaab group cannot discourage us but will further strengthen our resolve to defeat them once and for all,” Mohamud wrote on Twitter.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamist group al-Shabaab has claimed other recent attacks.

“Our government and brave people will continue to defend Somalia against evil,” Mohamud added.

The two car bombs exploded near a busy intersection in the capital and near the Ministry of Education, according to an official with the president’s office.

The intersection, Zobe junction, was the same location as a deadly bombing attack on October 14, 2017, which killed more than 500 people and injured around 300 others.

“By the will of God, no other October like this will happen. They won’t get the chance to commit such a thing,” Mohamud said, calling Saturday’s attack a repeat of the 2017 bombings.