MOGADISHU, 27 November 2021, (TON): Police said “eight people were killed and a number of students were injured in a car bombing near a school in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.”

It was latest deadly attack claimed by Al Shabaab jihadists who have long been fighting against the fragile government in the troubled Horn of Africa country.

Anguished parents rushed to the scene of the blast, which wrecked the school building, as injured students were taken to hospitals around the city.

Principal Yusuf Hussein Abdi said “the explosion hit at around 7:30am, just as children were settling down for their first lessons.”

In seconds, wooden beams and tin sheets came crashing down on the young pupils, as some of the walls gave way.

Abdi said, adding that seven students were injured “you can understand how it feels when many students, mostly children, came under attack as school rooms collapsed.”

People pulled victims out of the rubble, using their bare hands to carry them to safety until ambulances arrived.

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble condemned the attack, saying in a statement: “This ruthless act clearly indicates how far this twisted group went to shed the blood of innocent civilians indiscriminately.” Somalia police spokesman Abdifatah Adan said earlier that eight civilians were killed and 17 others wounded, without giving more details.

Security official Mohamed Abdillahi said the explosion was caused by a car bomb, but said the target of the attack was not known.