4 Killed Including 2 Soldiers As Explosion Hits Somalia’s Galkayo

4 people, including 2 soldiers, were injured, Sunday, in an explosion targeting a meeting of local officials in central Somalia, according to Al-Ain.

The explosion was caused by an explosive device, planted in front of the city of Galkayo in Galmudug state.

It happened shortly after the mayor of the city Abdirahman Mohamud Haji Hassan entered the headquarters of the city administration.

At that time, the explosion coincided with preparations for a meeting to be held at the city headquarters between Hassan and members of the aldermen, which was later postponed.

After the bombing, security forces closed all streets leading to the headquarters of the local administration, even stopping pedestrians.

They also prevented journalists in the city from reaching the scene, as they wanted to keep up with the developments of the incident.

No one has claimed  responsibility for the attack; nonetheless, the blame was put on Al-Shabaab terrorist group, which is linked to Al-Qaeda, claiming that the group carries out such attacks.

The local authorities of Galmudug state have not officially commented on the attack yet; however, they are expected to issue an official statement regarding the circumstances of the attack and the losses that resulted from it.

City of Galkayo is located in the center of the country, pided into two parts, the northern part of the state of Puntland and the southern part of the state of Galmudug where the explosion occurred.