Suicide bombing kills official, injures 3 in Somalia

MOGADISHU: The governor of Nugal region in northern Somalia was killed and three others injured in a suicide bomb attack on Sunday evening, an official confirmed on Monday.

A suicide bomber targetted a convoy carrying local officials, said Abdi Samad Mohamed Galan, security minister of the semi-autonomous regional state of Puntland.“We can confirm Abdi Salam Hassan Hirsi, the governor of Nugal region, was killed in the blast, and three other soldiers including a senior police officer got injured,” Galan said.

Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the bombing, which took place at around 7 p.m. on Sunday.Meanwhile, the Somali National Army (SNA) said it killed four suspected al-Shabab fighters in the Lower Shabelle region after a tip-off.

Bariire, the agriculturally rich area, was recently recovered from the terrorist group in a joint operation by the SNA with the support of African Union forces. The allied forces have intensified operations in the Horn of African nation to flush out the militants intent on toppling the internationally-backed government of Somalia.