BREAKING NEWS: Somalia Truck Bomb Kills At Least 20

A huge explosion from a truck bomb has killed at least 20 people in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, as shaken residents called it the most powerful blast they had heard in years.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday’s blast, al-Shabab often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu with deadly bombings.

The explosion appeared to target a hotel on a busy road in Hodan district and the death toll could rise, police Capt. Mohamed Hussein said. Security forces had been trailing the truck after it raised suspicions, he said.

The blast occurred two days after the head of the US Africa Command was in Mogadishu to meet with Somalia’s president, and two days after the country’s defence minister and army chief resigned. It happened in the city’s K5 Junction which is lined with government offices, hotels, and restaurants, destroying several buildings and setting dozens of vehicles on fire.