A rescue official says the toll from a truck bomb in Somalia’s capital has risen to 70 dead
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT – A Somali soldier keeps guard near burned bodies and a burning vehicle at the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. A rescue official says scores of people were killed after a car laden with explosives blew up in front of the Ministry of Education in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT – A Somali soldier keeps guard near burned bodies and a burning vehicle at the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. A rescue official says scores of people were killed after a car laden with explosives blew up in front of the Ministry of Education in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT – A Somali soldier looks at a burned body at the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. A rescue official says scores of people were killed after a car laden with explosives blew up in front of the Ministry of Education in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT – A Somali soldier keeps guard near burned bodies at the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. A rescue official says scores of people were killed after a car laden with explosives blew up in front of the Ministry of Education in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
A wounded man stands at the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. A rescue official says at least 55 people were killed after a car laden with explosives blew up in front of the Ministry of Education in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on a website it uses, after more than a month of relative calm in Mogadishu. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
Somalis carry a wounded man at the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. A rescue official says at least 55 people were killed after a car laden with explosives blew up in front of the Ministry of Education in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on a website it uses, after more than a month of relative calm in Mogadishu.(AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A rescue official says the toll from a truck bomb in Somalia’s capital has risen to 70 dead.
Ali Muse, the chief of Mogadishu’s ambulance service, said Tuesday that at least 42 others were wounded when a truck laden with explosives blew up in front of the Ministry of Education.
Ali Hussein, a police officer in Mogadishu, said the vehicle blew up after pulling up to a checkpoint at the entrance to the ministry offices.
The al-Qaida linked militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack in a website it uses.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Islamist militants detonated a truck bomb Tuesday in front of the Ministry of Education in Mogadishu, killing 55 people, wounding dozens and shattering a relative calm that had prevailed in the Somali capital for weeks.
The bomb blew up after coming to a halt at a security checkpoint. It left blacked corpses on the debris-strewn street and set other vehicles alight. Uniformed soldiers were seen dragging the wounded away.
Ali Muse, the chief of Mogadishu’s ambulance service, told The Associated Press that at least 55 people died and at least 30 were wounded.
It was the biggest attack in Somalia’s capital since the Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab withdrew most of its forces in August amid an offensive by African Union forces. The group had beene xpected to fight back with guerrilla-style attacks, including car bombs. Several car bombs have been defused or exploded before reaching their targets in recent weeks. Al-Shabab immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack on a website it uses.
Ali Hussein, a police officer in Mogadishu said the vehicle blew up after pulling up to a checkpoint at the entrance to the Education Ministry.
Suicide bombings were unheard of in Somalia before 2007 but have become increasingly frequent. Al-Shabab claims allegiance to al-Qaida, which often uses car bombs and appears bent on gaining a foothold in the Horn of Africa.
Al-Shabab includes militant veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts who have trained Somalis in tactics like suicide bombs and sniper fire. The group carried out a double suicide bombing in Uganda in July 2010 that killed 76 people watching the World Cup final on television. Several Americans of Somali heritage have also joined the group.
In 2009, a suicide bomber attacked a university graduation ceremony in Mogadishu, killing 24 people, including three government ministers, medical students and doctors.
Somalia has endured mostly anarchy for the last two decades. Peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi compose the AU force which is shoring up the weak U.N.-backed Somali government. The nation is gripped by famine, which is mostly affecting southern parts of the country controlled by al-Shabab.