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.



Taiwan Reports Chinese Balloon, First Time in Six Months

A woman holds flags amid celebrations of the 130th foundation anniversary of Taiwan's largest opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), in Taoyuan, Taiwan November 24, 2024. (Reuters)
A woman holds flags amid celebrations of the 130th foundation anniversary of Taiwan's largest opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), in Taoyuan, Taiwan November 24, 2024. (Reuters)
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Taiwan Reports Chinese Balloon, First Time in Six Months

A woman holds flags amid celebrations of the 130th foundation anniversary of Taiwan's largest opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), in Taoyuan, Taiwan November 24, 2024. (Reuters)
A woman holds flags amid celebrations of the 130th foundation anniversary of Taiwan's largest opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), in Taoyuan, Taiwan November 24, 2024. (Reuters)

Taiwan's defense ministry on Monday reported that a Chinese balloon had been detected over the sea to Taiwan's north, the first time since April it has reported such an incident in what Taipei views as part of a pattern of harassment by Beijing.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, complained that in the weeks leading up to its presidential election in January Chinese balloon activity took place at an "unprecedented scale".

It described the incidents as part of a Chinese pressure campaign - so-called grey-zone warfare designed to exhaust a foe using irregular tactics without open combat.

Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.

The ministry, in its regular morning update on Chinese military activities over the previous 24 hours, said the single balloon was detected at 6:21 p.m. (1021 GMT) on Sunday 60 nautical miles (111 km) to the north of Taiwan's Keelung port.

It then vanished some two hours later, having flown at an altitude of 33,000 ft (10,000 meters), but without crossing Taiwan itself, the ministry said.

China's defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

China has previously dismissed Taiwan's complaints about the balloons, saying they were for meteorological purposes and should not be hyped up for political reasons.

The potential for China to use balloons for spying became a global issue last year when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon. China said the balloon was a civilian craft that accidentally drifted astray.