Bomb blast kills at least 9 in Somalia

By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - A roadside explosion targeted a minibus carrying civilians in Somalia on Friday, resulting in at least nine fatalities and several injuries, according to a security officer in the lower Shabelle region.

Ahmed Hussein, the security officer, who spoke to Anadolu over the phone after the landmine blast, said the minibus was traveling from Mogadishu to the town of Qoryooley.

Hussein said that the explosion took place near the vicinity of Eelwaregow on the outskirts of Qoryooley, which is one of the major towns of Somalia’s region of Lower Shabelle.

Qoryooley, is a strategic agricultural town located 119 kilometers (73 miles) from Somali capital Mogadishu.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but al-Qaeda affiliated terror group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks in the Horn of African country.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terror groups.

Since 2007, al-Shabaab terror group has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the United Nations Security Council.

The terror group has increased attacks since the Somali president, who was elected for a second term last year, declared an "all-out war" on al-Shabaab.