Suicide attack kills at least 80, including 2 Turkish nationals in Mogadishu, Somali

AT least 80 people, including two Turkish nationals, were killed and many more wounded in a suicide truck bomb attack on a security checkpoint in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Dec. 28, said Turkey's envoy to the country.

It was one of the deadliest attacks in Mogadishu in recent memory, and witnesses said its force reminded them of the devastating 2017 bombing that killed hundreds of people.

Speaking to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency, Ambassador Mehmet Yılmaz said: "36 wounded are being treated in our Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Hospital, and nine injured are in surgery. According to information we have, almost 80 people were killed in the attack."

"We're worried that the number of dead in the explosion will exceed 100," he added.

Condemning the deadly attack, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said: "I wish God's grace for two Turkish nationals and all those innocent Somali brothers killed in the attack. We always will continue to support Somalia. Our determined fight against terror will continue."

Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also denounced the attack, writing on Twitter: "I wish God's grace for two of our citizens and almost 80 Somali brothers and sisters who were killed in heinous attack. Our country will always stand with Somalia in the fight against terror."

The attack took place at the junction called Ex-Control Afgoye in a southwestern suburb of the capital during the morning rush hour of Dec. 28.

The toll could rise as scores of people were rushed to hospitals, government spokesman Ismail Mukhtar told The Associated Press.

Most of those killed were university and other students returning to class, Mayor Omar Mohamud Mohamed said at the scene.

Mogadishu resident Mahmoud...