At least 35 people were killed, including eight members of a single family, and 40 more wounded in twin car bombings in central Somalia on Wednesday (January 4),&nbsp;a senior police officer said.&nbsp;The Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for these blasts.&nbsp;Two cars packed with explosives were simultaneously detonated in Mahas district in the Hiran region.&nbsp;

Another community leader, Mohamud Suleyman, said that 40 people were wounded and most were transported to the capital city Mogadishu for treatment.

According to witnesses, the blasts occurred near a restaurant which is not far from a district administration building.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/middle-east/blast-outside-kabuls-military-airport-several-killed-multiple-injured-reports-548450">At least 10 killed, several injured in blast outside Kabul’s military airport: Reports</a>

Earlier on Wednesday, Osman Nur, a police commander in Mahas told AFP that the terrorists, after having been defeated, resorted to targeting civilians, but this will not stop the will of the people to continue defeating them.&nbsp;

"They have killed innocent civilians in the explosions," Nur said.&nbsp;

Somalia has seen many terror attacks in the past.&nbsp;

On October 29 last year, more than 100 people were killed in two car bombings in Mogadishu. The explosions took place at the education ministry building with Somalia's president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud blaming Al-Shabad for the attacks.&nbsp;

Nearly a&nbsp;month later, eight civilians were killed in a 21-hour siege at a hotel in Mogadishu on November 27 which was popular with politicians and government officials. This came just three months after at least 21 people were killed in a siege at another hotel in the capital city in August.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, on October 3, 2022, a triple car bombing in Beledweyne killed 30 people including local officials.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1  width=&quot;100%&quot;"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

At least 35 people were killed, including eight members of a single family, and 40 more wounded in twin car bombings in central Somalia on Wednesday (January 4), a senior police officer said.

At least 35 people were killed, including eight members of a single family, and 40 more wounded in twin car bombings in central Somalia on Wednesday (January 4), a senior police officer said. The Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for these blasts. Two cars packed with explosives were simultaneously detonated in Mahas district in the Hiran region. Another community leader, Mohamud Suleyman, said that 40 people were wounded and most were transported to the capital city Mogadishu for treatment. According to witnesses, the blasts occurred near a restaurant which is not far from a district administration building. ALSO READ | At least 10 killed, several injured in blast outside Kabul’s military airport: Reports Earlier on Wednesday, Osman Nur, a police commander in Mahas told AFP that the terrorists, after having been defeated, resorted to targeting civilians, but this will not stop the will of the people to continue defeating them. "They have killed innocent civilians in the explosions," Nur said. Somalia has seen many terror attacks in the past. On October 29 last year, more than 100 people were killed in two car bombings in Mogadishu. The explosions took place at the education ministry building with Somalia's president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud blaming Al-Shabad for the attacks. Nearly a month later, eight civilians were killed in a 21-hour siege at a hotel in Mogadishu on November 27 which was popular with politicians and government officials. This came just three months after at least 21 people were killed in a siege at another hotel in the capital city in August. Meanwhile, on October 3, 2022, a triple car bombing in Beledweyne killed 30 people including local officials. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Somalia: 35 killed, 40 injured in twin car bombings in Mahas district

A car bomb and shooting attack on a hotel in the Somali city of Kismayu killed nine people on Sunday before security forces ended the siege at the hotel and killed the attackers, a regional official said.

Gunfire erupted after an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the gate of the port city's Tawakal Hotel. 
The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militant group said it had carried out the attack.&nbsp;

"In the explosion, nine people including students and civilians were killed and 47 others were injured, some of them seriously," Yussuf Hussein Dhumal, Security Minister for Jubbaland, told Reuters.

"The hotel where the explosion happened was near a school, so many students were injured."

Security forces killed three of the attackers and a fourth died in the bomb blast, Dhumal said.

Before the attack, a meeting was being held at the hotel to plan how to fight al Shabaab, Farah Mohamed, a security officer, told Reuters from Kismayu.

Mohamed Nur, a police captain, and Farah Ali, a shopkeeper in Kismayu, told Reuters the blast at the hotel preceded the gunfire.

Video footage from the Somali National Television posted on its Twitter account showed security personnel load one of the wounded into an ambulance.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesperson, said the group was behind the attack, which he said had targeted Jubbaland region's administrators who work from the hotel.

Kismayu is the commercial capital of Jubbaland, a region of southern Somalia still partly controlled by al Shabaab. 
Al Shabaab was driven out of Kismayu in 2012.

The city's port had been a major source of revenue for the group from taxes, charcoal exports and levies on arms, and other illegal imports.

In 2019, a similar attack at another hotel in Kismayu killed at least 26 people.

The group is battling to topple Somalia's central government and impose its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

It has killed thousands of Somalis and hundreds of civilians across East Africa in a decade-long insurgency.

Somali security forces say they have made gains on the battlefield against al Shabaab in recent weeks while fighting alongside local self-defence groups, but the group has continued to carry out deadly raids.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

&nbsp;

A car bomb and shooting attack on a hotel in the Somali city of Kismayu killed nine people on Sunday before security forces ended the siege at the hotel and killed the attackers, a regional official said.

A car bomb and shooting attack on a hotel in the Somali city of Kismayu killed nine people on Sunday before security forces ended the siege at the hotel and killed the attackers, a regional official said. Gunfire erupted after an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the gate of the port city's Tawakal Hotel. The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militant group said it had carried out the attack. "In the explosion, nine people including students and civilians were killed and 47 others were injured, some of them seriously," Yussuf Hussein Dhumal, Security Minister for Jubbaland, told Reuters. "The hotel where the explosion happened was near a school, so many students were injured." Security forces killed three of the attackers and a fourth died in the bomb blast, Dhumal said. Before the attack, a meeting was being held at the hotel to plan how to fight al Shabaab, Farah Mohamed, a security officer, told Reuters from Kismayu. Mohamed Nur, a police captain, and Farah Ali, a shopkeeper in Kismayu, told Reuters the blast at the hotel preceded the gunfire. Video footage from the Somali National Television posted on its Twitter account showed security personnel load one of the wounded into an ambulance. Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesperson, said the group was behind the attack, which he said had targeted Jubbaland region's administrators who work from the hotel. Kismayu is the commercial capital of Jubbaland, a region of southern Somalia still partly controlled by al Shabaab. Al Shabaab was driven out of Kismayu in 2012. The city's port had been a major source of revenue for the group from taxes, charcoal exports and levies on arms, and other illegal imports. In 2019, a similar attack at another hotel in Kismayu killed at least 26 people. The group is battling to topple Somalia's central government and impose its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. It has killed thousands of Somalis and hundreds of civilians across East Africa in a decade-long insurgency. Somali security forces say they have made gains on the battlefield against al Shabaab in recent weeks while fighting alongside local self-defence groups, but the group has continued to carry out deadly raids. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Nine killed, more than 47 injured in a militant attack in Somalia

Nine people, including senior regional officials, were killed in twin car bombings claimed by Al-Shabaab in central&nbsp;Somalia&nbsp;on Monday, police said, as the government escalates an offensive against the Islamists.&nbsp;

Two cars packed with explosives were detonated minutes apart outside local government offices in Beledweyne, a city at the heart of recent offensives against the Al-Qaeda-linked militants who control swathes of&nbsp;Somalia.

"The initial information we have received confirms the death of nine people" including a state minister and a commissioner, said Mohamed Moalim Ali, a local police commander.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/somalia-says-it-killed-al-shabaab-co-founder-522004">Also read |&nbsp;Somalia says it killed al Shabaab co-founder</a>

The health minister of Hirshabelle state -- where Beledweyne is located -- and a deputy district commissioner were among the dead, Ali added, with 10 others injured in the "suicide attacks."

Somali forces and "international security partners" have been waging an aggressive counterinsurgency in recent weeks, with the government on Monday announcing the killing of Abdullahi Yare, a top Al-Shabaab operative, in a joint air strike on Saturday in the south of the country.

"This leader... was the head preacher of the group and one of the most notorious members of the Shabaab group," the ministry of information said.

A co-founder of Al-Shabaab with a $3 million US bounty on his head, Yare was believed to be next in line to take over the leadership of the movement from its ailing chief Ahmed Diriye, according to the ministry.

The US Africa Command said Monday that it carried out a drone strike targeting Al-Shabaab two days earlier in coordination with&nbsp;Somalia's federal government.

"The command's initial assessment is that the strike killed an Al-Shabaab leader and that no civilians were injured or killed," it said in a statement.

Somalia's recently elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has vowed an all-out war on the jihadists, after a string of deadly attacks, including a 30-hour hotel siege in the capital Mogadishu that killed 21 people.

Mohamud last month urged citizens to stay away from areas controlled by Al-Shabaab as government forces supported by local clan militias launched offensives in Hiraan region, of which Beledweyne is the capital.

Military officials and clan elders told AFP that local residents had decided to take up arms against the militants, who have been accused of extorting money from them.

Huge explosion

Witnesses of Monday's twin bombings described a smaller blast followed by a massive second explosion.

"The explosion was huge, and it destroyed most buildings" nearby, said Mohamud Addow, who witnessed the attack.&nbsp;

"I saw several people rushed to hospital and some dead bodies... some were unrecognisable."

The United States, which recently restored a military presence in&nbsp;Somalia&nbsp;to fight the jihadists, condemned the bombings.

The attacks "targeted gov't officials working to bring peace to the region &amp; healthcare workers tending to the wounded," the US embassy in Mogadishu said on Twitter.

Al-Shabaab, which claimed responsibility for the bombings, has waged a bloody insurrection against the Mogadishu government for 15 years and remains a potent force despite an African Union operation against the group.

Its fighters were ousted from the capital in 2011 but continue to stage attacks on military, government and civilian targets.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-30-hours-somali-forces-end-deadly-siege-on-mogadishu-hotel-508754">Also read |&nbsp;After 30 hours, Somali forces end deadly siege on Mogadishu hotel</a>

The group last week claimed responsibility for a bomb blast that killed a top Somali police officer near the Al-Shabaab-controlled village of Bursa, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Mogadishu.&nbsp;

US forces have in the past partnered with African Union soldiers and Somali troops in counterterrorism operations, and have conducted frequent raids and drone strikes on Al-Shabaab training camps throughout&nbsp;Somalia.

Last month, the US military said it had killed 27 jihadist fighters in an air strike near Bulobarde, the main town on the road linking Mogadishu to Beledweyne.

It said the air strike was carried out "at the request" of the Somali government.

President Joe Biden decided to restore a US military presence in&nbsp;Somalia&nbsp;in May, approving a request from the Pentagon, which deemed his predecessor Donald Trump's rotation system too risky and ineffective.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Nine people, including senior regional officials, were killed in twin car bombings claimed by Al-Shabaab in central Somalia on Monday, police said, as the government escalates an offensive against the Islamists.

Nine people, including senior regional officials, were killed in twin car bombings claimed by Al-Shabaab in central Somalia on Monday, police said, as the government escalates an offensive against the Islamists. Two cars packed with explosives were detonated minutes apart outside local government offices in Beledweyne, a city at the heart of recent offensives against the Al-Qaeda-linked militants who control swathes of Somalia. "The initial information we have received confirms the death of nine people" including a state minister and a commissioner, said Mohamed Moalim Ali, a local police commander. Also read | Somalia says it killed al Shabaab co-founder The health minister of Hirshabelle state -- where Beledweyne is located -- and a deputy district commissioner were among the dead, Ali added, with 10 others injured in the "suicide attacks." Somali forces and "international security partners" have been waging an aggressive counterinsurgency in recent weeks, with the government on Monday announcing the killing of Abdullahi Yare, a top Al-Shabaab operative, in a joint air strike on Saturday in the south of the country. "This leader... was the head preacher of the group and one of the most notorious members of the Shabaab group," the ministry of information said. A co-founder of Al-Shabaab with a $3 million US bounty on his head, Yare was believed to be next in line to take over the leadership of the movement from its ailing chief Ahmed Diriye, according to the ministry. The US Africa Command said Monday that it carried out a drone strike targeting Al-Shabaab two days earlier in coordination with Somalia's federal government. "The command's initial assessment is that the strike killed an Al-Shabaab leader and that no civilians were injured or killed," it said in a statement. Somalia's recently elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has vowed an all-out war on the jihadists, after a string of deadly attacks, including a 30-hour hotel siege in the capital Mogadishu that killed 21 people. Mohamud last month urged citizens to stay away from areas controlled by Al-Shabaab as government forces supported by local clan militias launched offensives in Hiraan region, of which Beledweyne is the capital. Military officials and clan elders told AFP that local residents had decided to take up arms against the militants, who have been accused of extorting money from them. Huge explosion Witnesses of Monday's twin bombings described a smaller blast followed by a massive second explosion. "The explosion was huge, and it destroyed most buildings" nearby, said Mohamud Addow, who witnessed the attack. "I saw several people rushed to hospital and some dead bodies... some were unrecognisable." The United States, which recently restored a military presence in Somalia to fight the jihadists, condemned the bombings. The attacks "targeted gov't officials working to bring peace to the region & healthcare workers tending to the wounded," the US embassy in Mogadishu said on Twitter. Al-Shabaab, which claimed responsibility for the bombings, has waged a bloody insurrection against the Mogadishu government for 15 years and remains a potent force despite an African Union operation against the group. Its fighters were ousted from the capital in 2011 but continue to stage attacks on military, government and civilian targets. Also read | After 30 hours, Somali forces end deadly siege on Mogadishu hotel The group last week claimed responsibility for a bomb blast that killed a top Somali police officer near the Al-Shabaab-controlled village of Bursa, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Mogadishu. US forces have in the past partnered with African Union soldiers and Somali troops in counterterrorism operations, and have conducted frequent raids and drone strikes on Al-Shabaab training camps throughout Somalia. Last month, the US military said it had killed 27 jihadist fighters in an air strike near Bulobarde, the main town on the road linking Mogadishu to Beledweyne. It said the air strike was carried out "at the request" of the Somali government. President Joe Biden decided to restore a US military presence in Somalia in May, approving a request from the Pentagon, which deemed his predecessor Donald Trump's rotation system too risky and ineffective. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Senior officials among nine dead in Somalia car bombings

As many as 512 died in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/somalia-bomb-attack-death-toll-rises-to-over-300-22496">an October truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu</a>, an emergency committee investigating the terrorist atrocity has found.

An earlier death toll of 358 already made the October 14 bombing the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia&#39;s history. No group claimed responsibility, but the Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab militant group has been blamed.

&quot;The overall number of people we have recorded involved in the casualty are 869 persons: 512 are dead, 295 wounded and about 70 others are not yet confirmed if they were dead and or missing,&quot; Abdulahi Mohamed Shirwac, chairman of the Somali Emergency Operation Centre told AFP Saturday.

The 11-member board was established to look into the October 14 bombing. The government has not commented on the report, which it received this week.

The Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow successive internationally-backed governments in Mogadishu since 2007 and frequently deploys car and truck bombs against military, government and civilian targets.

The huge October explosion levelled buildings in the capital&#39;s busy Kilometre 5 neighbourhood.&nbsp;

Since then the United States -- which supports Somalia&#39;s fledgeling army as well as carrying out its own operations against the Shabaab and a separate self-proclaimed Islamic State group in the north of the country -- has increased the frequency of air strikes targeting jihadist leaders.

An earlier death toll of 358 already made the October 14 bombing the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia's history. No group claimed responsibility, but the Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab militant group has been blamed

As many as 512 died in an October truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu, an emergency committee investigating the terrorist atrocity has found. An earlier death toll of 358 already made the October 14 bombing the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia's history. No group claimed responsibility, but the Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab militant group has been blamed. "The overall number of people we have recorded involved in the casualty are 869 persons: 512 are dead, 295 wounded and about 70 others are not yet confirmed if they were dead and or missing," Abdulahi Mohamed Shirwac, chairman of the Somali Emergency Operation Centre told AFP Saturday. The 11-member board was established to look into the October 14 bombing. The government has not commented on the report, which it received this week. The Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow successive internationally-backed governments in Mogadishu since 2007 and frequently deploys car and truck bombs against military, government and civilian targets. The huge October explosion levelled buildings in the capital's busy Kilometre 5 neighbourhood. Since then the United States -- which supports Somalia's fledgeling army as well as carrying out its own operations against the Shabaab and a separate self-proclaimed Islamic State group in the north of the country -- has increased the frequency of air strikes targeting jihadist leaders.

Report says 512 died in deadliest Somalia bombing

At least five people were killed when a vehicle laden with explosives blew up in Mogadishu today, a local official said, the latest attack in the troubled Somali capital.

The blast occurred at a checkpoint near the presidential palace just as the Horn of Africa country&#39;s new prime minister unveiled his government lineup.

&quot;The vehicle was stopped at the checkpoint for security screening when it went off. At least five people were killed including security personnel and 10 others wounded,&quot; said Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman for the Mogadishu administration.

&quot;The blast was so huge, I saw smoke and dust all over the area,&quot; witness Abdukadir Yusuf said. &quot;I was on top of my house not very far away from the area, it was near the theatre and close to the presidential palace.&quot;

Somalia&#39;s new Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheyre earlier today unveiled his new cabinet, made up of 26 ministers including six women, after almost a month of political bargaining.

The Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab militant group, which is fighting to overthrow the government, has been blamed for a string of attacks in Mogadishu.

The Shabaab was forced out of the capital by African Union troops in 2011 but still controls parts of the countryside and carries out attacks against government, military and civilian targets in Mogadishu and regional towns.

(AFP)

The blast occurred at a checkpoint near the presidential palace just as the PM unveiled his government lineup

At least five people were killed when a vehicle laden with explosives blew up in Mogadishu today, a local official said, the latest attack in the troubled Somali capital. The blast occurred at a checkpoint near the presidential palace just as the Horn of Africa country's new prime minister unveiled his government lineup. "The vehicle was stopped at the checkpoint for security screening when it went off. At least five people were killed including security personnel and 10 others wounded," said Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman for the Mogadishu administration. "The blast was so huge, I saw smoke and dust all over the area," witness Abdukadir Yusuf said. "I was on top of my house not very far away from the area, it was near the theatre and close to the presidential palace." Somalia's new Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheyre earlier today unveiled his new cabinet, made up of 26 ministers including six women, after almost a month of political bargaining. The Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab militant group, which is fighting to overthrow the government, has been blamed for a string of attacks in Mogadishu. The Shabaab was forced out of the capital by African Union troops in 2011 but still controls parts of the countryside and carries out attacks against government, military and civilian targets in Mogadishu and regional towns. (AFP)

Five dead in Mogadishu bombing as PM unveils new cabinet

More than 20 people were killed on Sunday when suicide bombers from the militant al Shabaab group detonated two car bombs at a local government headquarters in Somalia&#39;s semi-autonomous Puntland region, witnesses and officials said. 
 
Residents of the town of Galkayo in north central Somalia said they heard two loud blasts in quick succession followed by heavy gunfire. 
 
&quot;There were two huge bombs. The first one was a truck bomb, followed a minute or so (later) by another car bomb. My brother was injured at the scene,&quot; Halima Ismail, a local resident, told Reuters. 
 
Islamist al Shabaab, which has carried out a series of deadly attacks in the Horn of Africa country as it seeks to topple the Western-backed government, claimed responsibility for the bombings. 
 
&quot;There were two suicide car bombs,&quot; Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group&#39;s spokesman for military operations, told Reuters. 
 
Police initially put the death toll at 10, including civilians and security forces personnel, but a medical official said that number had doubled. 
 
&quot;Death toll is over 20 and it may rise further,&quot; said Ahmed Sugule, a doctor at Galkayo hospital. He said another 30 people were wounded in the attack. 
 
Al Shabaab has become more active in Puntland, a large part of northern Somalia, since moving more forces there after being pushed out of strongholds farther south by an African Union force and the Somali National Army, experts and officials say. 
 
The group controlled Mogadishu for several years until 2011 when African Union forces drove it out. 
 
(Reuters)

Militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attacks

More than 20 people were killed on Sunday when suicide bombers from the militant al Shabaab group detonated two car bombs at a local government headquarters in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, witnesses and officials said. Residents of the town of Galkayo in north central Somalia said they heard two loud blasts in quick succession followed by heavy gunfire. "There were two huge bombs. The first one was a truck bomb, followed a minute or so (later) by another car bomb. My brother was injured at the scene," Halima Ismail, a local resident, told Reuters. Islamist al Shabaab, which has carried out a series of deadly attacks in the Horn of Africa country as it seeks to topple the Western-backed government, claimed responsibility for the bombings. "There were two suicide car bombs," Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group's spokesman for military operations, told Reuters. Police initially put the death toll at 10, including civilians and security forces personnel, but a medical official said that number had doubled. "Death toll is over 20 and it may rise further," said Ahmed Sugule, a doctor at Galkayo hospital. He said another 30 people were wounded in the attack. Al Shabaab has become more active in Puntland, a large part of northern Somalia, since moving more forces there after being pushed out of strongholds farther south by an African Union force and the Somali National Army, experts and officials say. The group controlled Mogadishu for several years until 2011 when African Union forces drove it out. (Reuters)

Twin suicide bombs kill 20 in Somalia

somalia-bombing

Somalia Bombing, News on Somalia Bombing, stories on Somalia Bombing, articles on Somalia Bombing, Somalia Bombing stories at Wion, Somalia Bombing news, Somalia Bombing latest news