The death from two car bombings in Somalia’s central town of Mahas has risen to 19 including nine people from one family.
The vehicles packed with improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) simultaneously exploded at houses in Mahas town in the Hiran region, where a major offensive against al-Shabaab took place last year.
The attack was claimed by Al-Shabaab, which has been waging a years-long insurgency against the fragile central government, according to the SITE monitoring group.
“Nineteen people, including members of the security forces and civilians, died in the blasts,” said Mohamed Moalim Adan, a leader of a community militia allied with the government in Mahas.
Osman Nur, a police commander in Mahas has vowed to take revenge on the group, saying the operations against al-Shabaab will continue.
“The terrorists, after having (been) defeated, resorted to desperately targeting civilians, but this will not stop the will of the people to continue defeating them,” Nur said.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility in a statement issued by its media unit, saying fighters had detonated explosives at military bases in Mahas and also attacked another base in Dadan ‘Ad, about 17 kilometres (10 miles) away.
