Bomb blast kills at least 12 in central Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia

A bomb blast in central Somalia killed at least a dozen people on Sunday, including a local intelligence chief, according to officials.

The attack, which wounded several others, targeted the vehicle of Abdirashid Abdi Qooje as it passed through the village of Eldhere 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of Dhusamareb, the administrative capital of Galmudug State. Qooje was the head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency in Dhusamareb.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, security officials in the region confirmed the attack and number of casualties on condition of anonymity.

"A military vehicle carrying Dhusamareb intelligence chief Abdirashid Abdi Qooje, was attacked while traveling between Eldhere and Guriel town, killing him and 11 of his bodyguards," one security official said.

Several others, including three soldiers, were also wounded and were transported to hospitals in Dhusamareb for treatment.

Local media have placed casualties at 14 people.

Al-Shabaab, an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group based in the Horn of Africa country, claimed responsibility for the attack.

This was the third bombing in Somalia over the last 24 hours. One civilian was killed and three others wounded in a bomb blast Saturday evening in the capital Mogadishu.

On Sunday, three soldiers guarding the Mogadishu-Afgoye highway construction site were wounded in another bomb blast outside Mogadishu.