Roadside bomb kills 4 civilians in southern Somalia

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – At least four civilians were killed after an auto-rickshaw they were traveling in hit a roadside bomb in southern Somalia on Monday, a security official said.

The security official in the Middle Shabelle region told Anadolu Agency over the phone the bomb blast took place near the village of Hansholey on the outskirts of Jowhar, the provincial capital of the Middle Shabelle region, adding the road was frequented by Somali military personnel.

Al-Shabaab terrorists frequently target the Somali military on the road, he said, adding unarmed civilians also fall victims to roadside bombs planted by terrorists.

Somali national television also reported that four civilians were killed after their auto-rickshaw ran over an IED (improvised explosive device) planted by terrorists near Hansholey village in the Jowhar district of the Middle Shabelle region on Monday.

Though no group has yet claimed responsibility for the roadside explosion, al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the recent attacks in the region targeting the Somali military, local administration officials, and Burundian peacekeepers serving under African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).

Jowhar is the administrative capital of Hirshabelle state located 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of the Horn of African country's capital Mogadishu.