WASHINGTON — At least eight people have been killed and six others injured in two separate explosions in Somalia, residents say.
At least five people were killed, and four others were injured in the town of Jalalaqsi in the Hiran region after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest at a public place
The al-Shabab military group claimed responsibility for the two attacks.
Two sources in Jalalaqsi, a medical worker and a resident, confirmed the casualties to VOA Somali.
According to the resident, the bomber went to a tea shop but was approached by the security guards of District Commissioner Nur Mohamed Absuge, who was in the area.
The man then detonated the bomb, killing two security guards and three civilians, the resident said.
That witness account was later confirmed by the deputy district commissioner of Jalalaqsi, Abdisalam Hassan Abukar, who told VOA in a telephone interview, “The target was the district commissioner.”
Abukar said one of the commissioner’s bodyguards fired a shot at the attacker before the bomb was detonated. The bodyguard is among the dead, he said.
Jalalaqsi is about 200 kilometers north of Mogadishu.
Meanwhile, three soldiers were killed when a roadside explosion hit their vehicle in the Yaqshid district of north Mogadishu.
A security official, who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media, told VOA Somali that two civilian bystanders were also injured in the explosion.
Thursday’s attacks come a day after a roadside explosion killed six people and injured 12 others in Lower Shabelle region.
Hussein Hassan Dhaqane contributed to this report.
