Suicide Bomber Kills 18, Injures Over 40 in Central Somalia

Not less than 18 people were killed while more than 40 were injured when an explosives-laden vehicle detonated at a security checkpoint in the central Somalia city of Beledweyne, the country’s military authorities said in a statement today.

The explosion which occurred on Saturday evening, also affected government buildings in the capital of the Hiran region in Hirshabelle state which has been the center of the Somali government’s latest military offensive against al-Shabab extremists.

The region’s Governor Ali Jeyte Osman, who addressed a press conference today, described the blast as a heinous act, saying the death toll could be higher as more are still being established.

He explained that government agencies such as the police and the hospital are currently examining the situation to determine the exact number of deaths and injuries caused by the blast.

An eyewitness, Ismail Ali, who spoke to journalists said he witnessed the blast and escaped death by the whiskers.

Though no group has laid claim to the blast, all fingers point to the Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab terrorists which often carries out such attacks and controls parts of Somalia