[FILES] Al-Shabaab militants. PHOTO: AFP
Police said Sunday that eight people were killed in a roadside bombing claimed by Al-Shabaab in central Somalia where a major offensive was launched to retake territory from the jihadists.
ad
The attack took place on Saturday afternoon in Buloburde, a town in the Hiran district where government forces and clan militias have been battling Al-Qaeda-linked rebels since the middle of last year.
The bomber detonated a car laden with explosives near an administrative building, said Abdullahi Mohamud, the local police commander.
“Five people died on the spot, while three others died overnight in hospital,” he said on Sunday, adding that the bombers had planned to destroy the city’s main bridge before targeting civilian areas.
Witnesses said the blast damaged the city’s main building and mosque.
“I saw the bodies of five people. Two elderly people came out of the mosque,” said Muhidin Sokorow, who witnessed the explosion.
ad
Separately, police said a car bomb exploded in Jalalaqsi, another town in Hiran, but only the attacker was killed.
The second attack was foiled and the suspect stopped trying to escape the explosives-laden vehicle, police said.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for all three attacks in a message transmitted through its communications service.
The militants have waged a bloody insurgency against the internationally-backed central government for 15 years, carrying out attacks in Somalia and neighboring countries.
In recent months, the army and local clan militias have retaken territory in the center of the country in operations backed by US airstrikes and African Union troops.
But the insurgents have often retaliated with bloody attacks, underscoring their ability to strike at the heart of Somalia’s cities and military installations despite attacks.
Nineteen people were killed in twin car bombs in Mahas, a town in Hiran, earlier this month.
ad