By Abi Ubale, Special to CNN
The target of a deadly car bomb attack on a school in Mogadishu Wednesday has not been confirmed. But Abdulganiy Mohamed, a director at the Aga Khan Educational Service — which runs the camp — told CNN the vehicle was heading to the school from an adjoining hotel when it exploded.
According to Moussa Ibrahim, an AFP journalist who saw the aftermath of the blast, at least eight people were killed and 13 were injured.
Two children were among the injured, Aga Khan officials said in a statement.
The attack happened outside the Aga Khan Mission School, which has been serving children since the early 2000s. Around 600 students were in the school at the time, the Aga Khan Schools said in a statement.
It said the incident occurred around noon as students were crossing the street after school. “It is heartbreaking to hear that there have been fatalities at the school.”
“You have to fight back…even if it is a little bit painful, you fight back,” said Balad Yusuf, a former Somali government official who was present during the attack.
Hassan Mahamoud, an AFP photographer who was among the people who rushed to the site of the blast, told CNN “the scene was horrible.”
It is the second such attack to strike Mogadishu in less than a week.
On Friday, a bomb exploded inside a supermarket in Mogadishu, killing 13 people and wounding 20. In September last year, more than 100 people were killed when a car bomb exploded near the seat of government in the Somali capital.