Suicide attack kills at least 5 in Somalia

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia

At least five people, including a colonel, were killed Saturday when a suicide attacker blew himself up near a military camp in the city of Galkayo in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia, officials said.

"An enemy man wearing an improvised device blew himself up near our military facility, killing our commander, Col. Abdi Hukun Abdullahi and two other officials" Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud, Somali army colonel said in a news conference in Galkayo.

Two civilians including a woman were killed and more than six other people including soldiers sustained injuries, he added.

Ahmed Abdullahi, security minister for the autonomous northeastern Somali region Puntland, also confirmed the casualties in a news conference.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated Somali group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

Galkayo is the capital region of Mudug.