Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens at Army Recruitment Drive in Mogadishu

A suicide bombing in Mogadishu killed at least 13 people on Sunday, May 18, 2025, after an attacker detonated explosives at an army recruitment drive.

The blast happened outside the Damanyo military base in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, where teenagers had gathered to register for army service.

According to witnesses, a speeding tuk-tuk stopped, and a man jumped out, ran into the queue, and then blew himself up. The aftermath? Dozens of abandoned shoes, body parts, and thick smoke.

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Medical staff at the military hospital said they had received 30 injured people from the blast, and six of them had died immediately.

Somalia has been plagued by suicide bombings for years, with militant group al-Shabaab frequently claiming responsibility. In a statement issued on Sunday, Islamist militant group al Shabaab said it was behind the attack and that it had killed as many as 30 soldiers and wounded 50 more.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has waged an insurgency in Somalia since 2007 and has recently been battling the army to extend gains in central Somalia.

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In 2023, 25 soldiers were killed in a similar attack at the Jale Siyad base, located opposite Damanyo. Sunday’s attack followed the assassination on Saturday of Colonel Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of battalion 26, in the Hiiran region.

So, what’s the real issue here? A government incapable of securing its own military bases? Is it a terrorist group that thrives on instability? Or just a never-ending cycle of violence that the world has grown numb to? Officials will, of course, condemn the attack, vow retaliation, and maybe even launch another doomed offensive against al-Shabaab.

Until Somalia takes real action to dismantle the terror networks operating within its borders, there will always be reports on tragedies like this.