Somali police announced on Saturday that 14 suspects had been detained in connection with a fatal suicide bombing targeting a military training centre in Mogadishu earlier this month.
The incident took place within the Jaalle Siyad military training complex, killing about 30 individuals, including new military recruits and employees.
According to Deputy Defence Minister Abdifatah Kasim, authorities arrested troops, top commanders, and the academy’s commander.
Kasim informed the federal parliament that the July 25 suicide attack is being investigated by a joint security committee comprised of national intelligence, security agencies, and the army.
According to Federal Parliament Speaker Adan Mohamed Nur Madobe, traitors within the military camp may be responsible for the “treacherous attack.” He requested an immediate probe.
The incident triggered widespread protests in Marka, the provincial seat of the Lower Shabelle area, where the vast bulk of recruits were claimed to have come from.
Terrorists from Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 73 troops and injured more than 120 more.
Since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahamud was re-elected for a second term last year, he announced a “all-out war” on al-Shabaab.
Since then, the militants have lost control of wide swathes of terrain in the central areas, including the seaside town of Haradhere, which had been under their control for more than a decade.
For years, Somalia has been plagued by instability, with the primary threats coming from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS extremist organisations.
The organisation has been battling the Somali government and the African Union Transition operation in Somalia (ATMIS), a multifaceted operation authorised by the African Union and sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council, since 2007.
On October 14, 2017, a vehicle loaded with explosives exploded at the bustling Zoobe crossroads in Mogadishu, killing over 600 people and injuring almost 1,000 more in the country’s biggest terror assault in its history.