At least 10 killed in suicide car bomb attack in Somalia

MOGADISHU At least 10 people were killed when two suicide car bombers attacked the local government headquarters in Somalia's Galkayo town in the semi-autonomous Puntland region on Sunday, police said, and the militant al Shabaab group claimed the attack.


"We have confirmed 10 people dead including civilians and security forces," said Ali Ahmed, a police officer.


Witnesses and residents said they heard two loud blasts in quick succession followed by heavy gunfire.


"There were two huge bombs. The first one was a truck bomb, followed a minute or so (later) by another car bomb. My brother was injured at the scene," Halima Ismail, a local resident, told Reuters.


Al Shabaab, which has been carrying out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia, said it was behind the attack.


"There were two suicide car bombs," Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group's spokesman for military operations, told Reuters.


(Reporting by Abdiqani Hassan, Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Dominic Evans/Keith Weir)

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