Roadside bomb blast in SW Somalia kills 2 civilians

MOGADISHU, Somalia

At least two civilians were killed and several other people were wounded in a landmine explosion in southern Somalia on Monday evening, officials said.

The bomb targeted soldiers based near the town of Afgoye in the lower Shabelle region where the explosion took place, said South West State officials who spoke to Anadolu Agency over the phone.

The people wounded in the attack included one soldier, an official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions of speaking to the media.

The wounded were taken to medical facilities in the town for treatment, according to local media.

Afgoye is an agricultural town located some 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu.

Officials blamed the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab for the explosion, but no group has claimed responsibility yet.

The attack came two days after an al-Shabaab bomb attack killed Somali state media director Abdiaziz Mohamud Guled (Abdiaziz Afrika) and wounded two journalists, and last Friday at least eight people were killed and over 13 wounded in a bomb blast in the town of Berdale in Somalia’s South West State.

Al-Shabaab was behind two back-to-back attacks in Mogadishu earlier this month, including a suicide bombing targeting an African Union Mission in Somalia convoy that killed three people and injured several more.

Amid rising insecurity, Somali forces have ramped up operations against the group.​​​​​​​