Suicide bomber detonated a device at a rally which is to be addressed by the country’s prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble killed at least 10 people on Friday. The incident took place in a town in Somalia’s semi autonomous state of Galmudug. Before explosion, the residents and security forces were gathered to welcome Prime Minister who was on his way to address the rally at a stadium in Galkayo, a town in central Somalia, Galmudug state security ministry said in a post on its Facebook page.
Major Mohamed Abdirahman, a military officer, told a news agency from Galkayo that “Over 10 people died in the blast including three senior military officials, soldiers and civilians", he added over 20 people were injured. Senior officials at the explosion site included General Abdiasis Abdullahi Qooje, the commander of a battalion based in Galmudug, Somali state radio SONNA reported. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Somalia’s al Qaeda-allied Islamist group al Shabaab and said it was “targeting the apostate prime minister who was visiting the town.”
Few US trained militants were killed in the blast. The terrorist group has been fighting for more than a decade to topple the Horn of Africa’s central government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of sharia law. A witness, Farah Ali, a resident of Galkayo, told a news agency over a telephonic interview the stadium was packed with a huge crowd before the blast. “I counted seven dead people including soldiers and civilians and over a dozen injured,” he said. It is said the death count may increase.
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