At least 15 killed in twin blasts in central Somalia
A man looks at a destroyed vehicle at the scene of a past terror car attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, on April 9, 2017. Terrorists attacked Mahas town in central Somalia this morning using vehicles loaded with explosives.
At least fifteen people were killed and several others wounded in twin car bomb attacks in recently liberated town of Mahas in central Somalia on Wednesday, local media reported.
“The terrorists attacked Mahas town this morning using vehicles loaded with explosives,” local security official Abdullahi Adan told AFP by phone.
“They have targeted a civilian area and we have confirmed that nine people, all of them civilians, died in the two explosions.”
Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the bombings, which according to witnesses, occurred near a restaurant not far from a district administration building in Mahas.
Located in Hiran region, Mahas is one of the strategic towns that the Somali army has liberated from Al-Shabaab in recent months as part of an “all-out war” announced by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud following his election last May.
The attack is seen as a retaliation by the terror group.
“The terrorists, after having (been) defeated, resorted to desperately targeting civilians, but this will not stop the will of the people to continue defeating them,” said Osman Nur, a police commander in Mahas.
On November 19, Mohamud visited the town shortly after it was recaptured from Al-Shabaab militants and pledged to implement developmental projects for the residents.
In a written statement, Hirshabelle state (where Hiran is located) President Ali Abdullahi Hussein (Gudlawe) condemned the attacks saying they will not dissuade his people from eliminating Al-Shabaab terrorists.
