On December 14, 2017 a bomb detonated at a police training facility in Mogadishu, Somalia. The blast killed 18 police officers and wounded an additional 15.
The bomber entered the facility disguised as a police officer. He was wearing an explosive suicide vest. He blew himself up in a crowd of officers who were practicing a parade drill in preparation for a national Police Day celebration.
The militant Islamist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. The group is affiliated with Al-Qaeda and regularly carries out bombings around Somalia. The murders were part of a fifteen year battle by al-Shabab to overthrow Somalia’s internationally backed government.
The murders were a tragic event for the 14,000 member police force that is attempting to return order to the country torn apart by civil war and general disorder. Dozens of Somali Police Officers have been killed since the organization was re-established in the early 2000s.
PHOTO BY AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION - FLICKR, CC0, HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=41583337
;
