Al Shabab bomb kills 12 in Somalia’s Puntland

ABDIQANI HASSAN | REUTERS
Relatives prepare to pray during the funeral of suspected rebels killed in an attack by Somali forces and supported by US troops in Mogadishu, Somalia on August 31, 2017. On Friday, Al-Shabab rebels exploded a bomb at a khat market in Af-Urur, in Somalia’s Puntland region, killing 12 people, including five soldiers. (REUTERS/Feisal Omar)

BOSSASO, Somalia: An Al-Shabab bomb attack killed 12 people, including five soldiers, in Somalia’s Puntland region on Friday, the Puntland military said.
The explosions hit Af-Urur, 100 km (60 miles) south of the city of Bossaso. Af-Urur is near the Galgala hills, an area controlled by Al-Shabab Islamists who have attacked and captured the town several times and in June killed 38 people there.
“A bomb planted near the khat market of Af-Urur exploded,” Major Mohamed Ismail, a Puntland military officer, told Reuters. “So far 12 people including civilians and soldiers have died.”
The attack coincided with Eid Al-Adha, a Muslim holiday.
Al Shabab, which is linked to Al-Qaeda and wants to impose strict Islamic law, claimed responsibility.
“We are behind the attack in Af-Urur village. We killed five soldiers and injured 10 others,” Al-Shabab’s military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters.

Topics: Somalia SPL Al-Shabab