At least 18 civilians are reported to have been killed in Somalia when a bomb went off blowing up a minibus close to the capital of Somali according to police reports.
The blast took place at Lofale which is around 20 Kilometers west of Mogadishu. This occurred as the bus was passing but no terror group has claimed the responsibility.
“All the 18 people on board the minibus are dead and burnt. A remotely controlled bomb along the road exploded,” Abidkadir Mohamed, a police officer at the scene, said.
According to Reuters, Nur Ahmed who was driving along the same road said that the minibus was being escorted by a truck that was carrying government troops.
“A government lorry full of soldiers followed by the minibus overtook me at high speed before I heard a loud explosion,” Ahmed said.
Luckily, the government car which was probably the target escaped undamaged.The Al Shabaab militants have frequently launched attacks against security forces and civilians around the country in the past. The group wants to topple the Western-backed government.
Source, Agencies