Explosion in Somali capital Mogadishu kills at least eight

(25 Nov 2021) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4354733 A large explosion outside a school in Somalia's capital on Thursday killed at least eight people, including students, witnesses said. Police said 17 others were wounded. The extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. The al-Qaida-linked group controls large parts of rural Somalia and continues to frustrate efforts at rebuilding the Horn of Africa nation after three decades of conflict. The blast sent a plume of smoke above a busy part of Mogadishu during the morning rush hour. The blast shredded part of the school, with emergency workers looking through the collapsed roof beams and wooden benches. Al-Shabab in a statement carried by its Andalus radio said it targeted Western officials being escorted by the African Union peacekeeping convoy. But a witness told the AP that a private security company was escorting the officials and said he saw four of the security personnel wounded. The attack occurred as Somalia faces major questions about its political and security future. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...