Suicide bombers from the militant al Shabaab group detonated two vehicle bombs at the local government headquarters in Somalia’s Galkayo town.
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He said that the victims reportedly included several soldiers and police officers, while majority were civilians, including students.
In March, al-Shabaab militants attacked a hotel in Galkayo, killing at least six people, including a senior local government official.
Al Shabaab is seeking to topple the Western-backed government and to set up an Islamic caliphate in the country.
The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia. Witnesses said they heard two huge consecutive explosions, followed by gunfire.
“Death toll is over 20 and it may rise further”, said Ahmed Sugule, a doctor at Galkayo hospital. Puntland, a semi-autonomous state in northern Somalia, controls the eastern part of the town, while the southern part is controlled by rival regional state Galkayo.
Al-Shabaab militant group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack, saying it killed “dozens” of Puntland soldiers. “My brother was injured at the scene”, Halima Ismail, a local resident said.
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More than 20 dead in twin blasts in Somalia town was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on August 22, 2016 and was last updated on August 22, 2016.
