Bomb blast wounds 4 people in southern Somalia: State media

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – Four people were wounded when a terrorist bomb blast targeted a restaurant in southern Somalia on Tuesday, official media said.

"Four people, including chief of district court Ahmed Mohamed Abdi, were wounded in a terrorist bomb attack which targeted a restaurant in the Balad town of Hirshabelle State on Tuesday," state-run Somali National Television reported.

A police officer in the town told Anadolu Agency that the explosion was caused by remotely controlled explosives devices planted in the restaurant frequented by local authorities.

Balad is a strategic agricultural town located 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu.

The attack was the first bomb blast in the Horn of African country since Somalia elected a new president on Sunday.

Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it killed one soldier and wounded three local officials.

Al-Shabaab has been fighting against the Somali government and African Union troops in the country over a decade.