15 dead, 5 wounded in attack on Somali military convoy

By Mohammed Dhaysane

BELEDHAWO, Somali-Kenyan border

At least 15 people, including soldiers and civilians, were killed and more than five others wounded after a suicide car bomb blast targeted Somalia’s new armed forces commander Sunday.

Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack via its radio Andalus.

Police Captain Ismail Mohamed told Anadolu Agency that the blast targeted a military convoy with Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Jimale, also known as Gen. Arfiid, the new commander, near the Defense Ministry building in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

"What happened today was one of the deadliest attacks ever in Somalia,” he added. “The wounded were taken to Madina and Darushifa hospitals for treatment "

The death toll is expected to rise, as a minibus carrying civilians was also destroyed, he said.

Mogadishu municipality spokesman Abdifatah Omar Hallane assured reporters that Arfiid had survived the attack.

"I can't describe it, you see human body parts lying here. Al-Shabaab’s target was civilians, because the bomb went off on a civilian minibus, killing all its passengers" Hallane told a press conference.

After being named to his post three days ago, Arfiid was on his way to the Defense Ministry to attend a handover ceremony when the attack took place.

One Friday Somalia’s new President Mohamed Abdullaahi Mohamed Farmajo declared war on al-Shabaab and replaced the military, police, national intelligence, and security agency commanders.

Sunday's attack came three days after a landmine hit a civilian vehicle in Somalia’s lower Shabelle region, killing at least 19 people.

It also came a day after a military court in Somalia's semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland executed five al-Shabaab terrorists convicted of militancy and murdering two Puntland senior officials.