Ekip
16 May 2017•Update: 16 May 2017
By Mohammed Dhaysane and Hassan Istilla
MOGADISHU, Somalia
At least seven people were wounded, including government officials, in a bomb blast at a busy restaurant in southwestern Somalia Monday afternoon, officials said.
Isak Abdi Mohamed, district commissioner of the town of Qasahdhere in the Bay region, told Anadolu Agency over the phone that the bomb had targeted local officials.
“The bomb was hidden in the restaurant and targeted district officials. Seven people, including two district commissioners and five government forces, were wounded. No one was killed," he said.
"The officials injured by the blast are Salah Sheikh Abdullahi, deputy commissioner for finance, and Ibrahim Dahir, deputy commissioner for public affairs," he added.
All five government soldiers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Baidoa Hospital for treatment, said the official.
Mohamud Ali, a police officer in Qasahdhere, confirmed the incident to Anadolu Agency, adding, "The police launched a security operation we have nabbed two suspects".
The attack took place around 2:30 local time (1100GMT)
The town has been under siege by Somali-based insurgent group al-Shabaab since the Somali government retook the district from the terrorist group in 2012.
Qasahdhere is an agriculture town located some 346 kilometers (214 miles) southwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu and 90 km west of Baidoa, Bay’s capital.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but it comes eight days after al-Shabaab took responsibility for a car bomb blast on a popular restaurant in the capital Mogadishu, killing six people, including a national army general.
