The number of people killed as a result of a suicide attack in the Galkayo city in central Somalia has grown to 17, Somalian news outlet Garowe Online reported
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2020) The number of people killed as a result of a suicide attack in the Galkayo city in central Somalia has grown to 17, Somalian news outlet Garowe Online reported.
The explosion took place on Friday at a stadium in Galkayo where numerous people gathered to hear the address of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble. The previous update on casualties stated 10 people.
According to the report, the 17 casualties included two senior military officials Gen. Abdiaziz Abdullahi Qoje, the commander of the Somalian army's 21st Division, and Maj. Mukhtaar Abdi Aden, the commander of the Danab Special Forces' 10th Brigade.
Abdi Aden was reportedly a key figure behind the army operations against Al-Shabaab militants in central Somalia.
The news portal said, citing sources, that the perpetrator of the Galkayo attack was an Al-Shabaab affiliate.
The radical Islamist group is aligned with Al-Qaeda terrorists (banned in Russia) and has long waged insurgency against the Somalian Federal government. The group is under UN-backed sanctions aimed at helping Mogadishu respond to security threats and facilitate the work of international humanitarian actors.
