Landmine kills 3 soldiers in Somalia

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Three soldiers were killed and five others wounded when a bomb blast targeted an army checkpoint on the outskirts of Shalanbod district in Somalia’s lower Shabelle region on Monday, according to a military official.

Ismail Adan, a third battalion officer from the lower Shabelle region, told Anadolu Agency over the phone a landmine hidden near a tree had struck the checkpoint in Kabtan Nas Village.

The wounded were rushed to the capital Mogadishu for treatment, Adan added.

Shalanbod is a small agriculture town located 86 kilometers (53 miles) south of Mogadishu.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Sunday, the government said it killed a suspected al-Shabaab leader in lower Shabelle region where anti-terror operations continue.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Monday visited lower Shabelle region under tight security for the first time since he took office in February.