Somalia: Bomb blasts by Al-Shabaab in the south kill 20

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA): At least 20 people were killed and several wounded in separate bomb attacks Wednesday in southern Somalia, police said.

A police officer in the town of Marka in the Lower Shabelle region told Anadolu Agency by phone that a suicide bomber killed 13 people, including the town’s mayor, Abdullahi Ali Wafow, as well as security guards and civilians.

Several others who were injured were taken to hospitals for treatment.

Marka, 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the Somali capital Mogadishu, is a major town that houses several African Union peacekeeping mission contingents. The attack took place near the Marka administration headquarters.

Abdiaziz Laftagareen, president of the Southwest State, condemned the suicide bombing and the killing of the mayor, calling him “one of the best civil servants” in the country.

The Al-Shabaab terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the same region, a landmine explosion rocked a busy livestock market in the town of Afgoye, killing at least seven people and wounding more than 14 others, according to regional security officials in Lower Shabelle.

The attack in Afgoye also devastated nearby buildings and shops, according to Mohamed Hassan, an eyewitness who spoke to Anadolu Agency by phone.

Afgoye is located 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of Mogadishu.​

*Seda Sevencan in Istanbul contributed to this report

[Map of Somalia by CIA Fact book/ Public Domain]

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