Terror explosion kills at least 8 people in Somalia’s southern province: Report

At least eight people have been killed and more than a dozen others wounded in a bomb explosion that ripped through a crowded market in Somalia’s South West State, a report says.

The deadly incident occurred in the town of Berdale, some 310 kilometers from the capital Mogadishu, on Friday, reported Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, citing a local police official.

“Communications are cut off in the area but we can confirm that at least eight people, mostly civilians, have died and 13 more are injured,” further said Mohammed Ahmed Isaq, a police official in Baidoa, the administrative capital of South West State.

He further told Anadolu over the phone that “three of the wounded are in critical condition, while the injuries of the rest are not life-threatening.”

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly attack, but such assaults bear the hallmark of those carried out by the al-Shabab Takfiri terrorist group, which is an ally of the al-Qaeda organization.

The al-Shabab group has been fighting Somalia’s central government for more than a decade, in an attempt to establish its own rule in the African nation.

The militants frequently carry out shooting and bomb attacks against both civilian and military targets, including busy traffic intersections, hotels, and military bases.