Somalia: More Than 30 Killed in Twin Attacks

Twin attacks took place in central Somalia, killing more than 30 people, the Beledweyne district police chief told AFP on Thursday.

The first attack in Beledweyne district was carried out by a suicide bomber and killed two local lawmakers; including Amina Mohamed Abdi who campaigned for re-election in addition to several of her guards.

Minutes later, a car bomb exploded outside Beledweyne's main hospital, killing dozens and leaving vehicles in charred.

"The terrorists carried out the first attack using a suicide bomber and readied a car loaded with explosives in front of a hospital to cause more casualties," said Colonel Isak Ali Abdulle.

"We are still trying to establish the overall number of casualties, but so far we have confirmed that more than 30 people were killed in the second blast alone," he added. "These were devastating simultaneous attacks which damaged property as well as causing mass civilian casualties."

Somalia's attacks occurred the same day as three people were killed in a separate attack near Mogadishu's airport that was also claimed by Al-Shabaab.

"The second blast was very huge, it occurred in front of the hospital and my brother and one of our neighbours were among the dead," said Mahad Yare, a Beledweyne resident.

Meanwhile, Al-Shabaab admitted that it carried out the attacks to target politicians contesting ongoing elections.