Suicide Car Bomber Explodes Outside Military Base in Mogadishu

Somali soldiers look at a blast mark of car bomb attack at a check point near Sanguuni military base, where an American special operations soldier was killed by a mortar attack on June 8, about 450 km south of Mogadishu, Somalia, on June 13, 2018. - (Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP via Getty Images)

A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the gates of a military base in Somalia's capital, a police officer said Saturday.

Col. Ahmed Muse said the bomber struck the 12th April Army Brigade base near the newly reopened sports stadium in Warta-Nabadda district.

At least eight soldiers were killed and more than 14 others were wounded, The Associated Press reported.

Capt. Mohamed Hussein said the toll is expected to rise.

Witnesses said ambulance sirens could be heard as police cordoned off the scene. Huge clouds of smoke were billowing.

Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab extremist group often targets military sites in Mogadishu.