Suicide Bombing in Somalia Kills One Soldier, Injures 6

Security forces patrol at the scene, after gunmen stormed the Hayat Hotel in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia on Aug. 21, 2022. (AP)
Security forces patrol at the scene, after gunmen stormed the Hayat Hotel in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia on Aug. 21, 2022. (AP)
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Suicide Bombing in Somalia Kills One Soldier, Injures 6

Security forces patrol at the scene, after gunmen stormed the Hayat Hotel in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia on Aug. 21, 2022. (AP)
Security forces patrol at the scene, after gunmen stormed the Hayat Hotel in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia on Aug. 21, 2022. (AP)

At least one soldier was killed and six others injured in Somalia on Sunday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a military base in the west of the capital Mogadishu, a soldier and a hospital worker told Reuters.

Somalia's al-Qaeda-allied group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The suicide bomber had disguised himself as a regular soldier and joined others as they filed into a military base early Sunday before he detonated the explosive, Captain Aden Omar, a soldier at the military base told Reuters.

"We lost one soldier and several others were injured. The bomber blew up himself at a check point," he said.

A nurse at Madina Hospital in Mogadishu told Reuters they had received one dead soldier and six others who were wounded.

Al Shabaab claimed it had killed 32 soldiers.

"A suicide bomber killed 32 apostate soldiers and injured over 40 others inside a base in Mogadishu today," Al Andalus radio station which is affiliated with the group said, quoting Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operations spokesperson.

Abu Musab said they had targeted the base because recruitment activity was being conducted there.

The extremist group frequently carries out bombings and gun attacks in Somalia and elsewhere.



Pope Francis No Longer Using Ventilation, Confirmed as Improving, Vatican Says

 A view of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A view of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Francis No Longer Using Ventilation, Confirmed as Improving, Vatican Says

 A view of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A view of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis is no longer using mechanical ventilation for help breathing at night and his doctors believe he will continue to improve, the Vatican said on Wednesday, in the latest positive update as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia.

Francis has been in Rome's Gemelli Hospital for nearly five weeks for a severe respiratory infection that has required evolving treatment.

"The clinical conditions of the Holy Father are confirmed to be improving," said the latest detailed medical update on his condition.

The pope had been using non-invasive mechanical ventilation overnight during his hospital stay, which involves placing a mask over the face to help push air into the lungs.

Such ventilation had been "suspended", the statement said. But it said the pope is still receiving oxygen via a small hose under his nose.

The pope's doctors believe his infection is under control, the Vatican press office said shortly after the release of the latest statement. The pope does not have a fever and his blood tests are normal, it said.

The pope has been described as being in a stable or improving condition for two weeks, but the Vatican has not yet given a timeframe for his discharge, saying his recovery is going slowly.

Francis is prone to lung infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.

He has been receiving both respiratory physiotherapy to help with his breathing and physical therapy to help with his mobility. He has used a wheelchair in recent years due to knee and back pain.

Doctors not involved in Francis' care said the pope is likely to face a long, fraught road to recovery, given his age and other medical conditions.