Bomb explosion near a football stadium where anti-Shabaab rally was taking place

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Bomb explosion near a football stadium where anti-Shabaab rally was taking place

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) Police in Mogadishu and witnesses say a bomb exploded near a football stadium in the capital as thousands of Mogadishu residents - many of them government employees with face masks to conceal their identities - gathered for

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Employees of the ministry of defense show a banner denouncing the terror group al-Shabaab during a public rally in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday Jan. 12, 2022.

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) Police in Mogadishu and witnesses say a bomb exploded near a football stadium in the capital as thousands of Mogadishu residents - many of them government employees with face masks to conceal their identities - gathered for anti-Shabaab rally on Thursday.

According to two police officers in Abdiaziz district, the casualties are not yet known.

The protest, organised by the office of the president, has called the "Mogadishu People's Uprising" and is aimed at demonstrating support for the government forces and clan militias fighting against the terror group al-Shabaab in parts of southern and central regions.

"The bomb was a landmine planted on the road as the people were coming to the Eng. Yarisow Stadium. We are yet collecting more information," said one police officer who asked anonymity said.

An eyewitness Halima Abdi told The Horn Observer that she heard a loud explosion and later saw a smoke coming from the scene which is 50 metres from her home.

"The blast was huge enough to deafen us. I do not know who died," she added.

Heightened security was observed in the stadium's vicinity early on Thursday. Several roads in the capital including those leading to the Hamarweyne market, the second largest marketplace, ere blocked. Localized disruptions along nearby roads of the city routes were also reported.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who later attended the rally called for the civilians to join the offensive against the militant group.