Multiple casualties reported in Somalia as powerful blast hits popular hotel

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Multiple casualties were reported in southern Somalia on Sunday as a powerful explosion struck a popular hotel frequented by regional authorities, officials confirmed.

The blast was the result of a car bomb that targeted Nur Dob hotel in the town of Jowhar, wounding several people including local authorities, among them the health minister of Hirshabelle state, according to senior officials who spoke to Anadolu Agency over the phone after the attack.

Jowhar is the administrative center of Hirshabelle state and is located 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of the national capital Mogadishu.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that the explosion had affected nearby buildings and was one of the largest they had heard lately in the Horn of Africa country that has suffered major attacks in recent years.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for similar strikes.