BELEDWEYNE, Somalia – A blast struck a key town in central Somalia as the government forces backed by clan militia and foreign partners continued to fight Al-Shabaab militants.
Initial reports indicate that a truck loaded with explosives was detonated at a security checkpoint in the Nur Hawad area. There was no immediate confirmation of the casualties.
The local ambulances rushed to the scene following the explosion to take the wounded to the hospital, according to the eyewitnesses, who spoke to Radio Shabelle by phone.
Beledweyne, about 300 kilometers north of Mogadishu, has been the center of a recent local community mobilization against al-Shabab.
At least 30 people were killed and 36 others wounded in the central Somali town of Beledweyne in October last year in the explosions of three car bombs by Al-Shabaab.
Among those killed in the morning explosions are the deputy governor of Hiran region Abukar Sheikh Madey and the region’s health minister Zakariye Mohamed Ahmed.
