Mogadishu, April 14 (IANS) At least eight people were killed following an attack on Somalia’s education ministry headquarters in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, police said.
Police officer Nor Ali at the scene told Xinhua news agency the attackers first triggered an explosion at the ministry’s wall near the gate before storming the building and taking over.
“All attackers have been killed and our forces are now in full control of the building,” said the police officer.
There was sporadic gunfire from the building, which persisted for around 45 minutes, before the Somali forces took over the building.
An eyewitness near the scene told Xinhua there was a sudden explosion and thick smoke followed.
“I heard a huge explosion and soon the place was filled with smoke. I saw a number of people dead near the gate of the education ministry after that,” said the witness.
Somali militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack comes a day after the ministry of education announced examinations and stated that the school curriculum would be centralised in Somalia.
Since the collapse of the country’s central government in 1991, private schools under what is called “umbrellas” administer their own curriculums and exams which differ from one umbrella to another.