Friday August 11, 2023
Beledweyne (HOL) - The death toll from the al Shabab suicide bombing in the district of Jalalaqsi in the Hiiraan region has risen to eight people, officials confirmed on Friday.
Jalalaqsi district commissioner Nor Mohamed Nor Dhere told the local media that eight people, including his bodyguards, were killed in the attack, while over ten others were injured.
The attack took place on Thursday afternoon when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest at a tea shop where Nor Dhere was staying.
Nor Dhere underlined that the bomber intended to target him as the explosion occurred near the chair he had vacated mere minutes before the blast. According to residents, one of the commissioner's bodyguards fired a shot at the attacker before the bomb was detonated. The bodyguard is among the dead.
The district commissioner confirmed that security forces had apprehended a suspected man believed to have guided the suicide bomber.
"Allah saved me from the explosion; the man seated in the chair I had got up just moments before the explosion is among the dead. We apprehended a person who seemed to be guiding the bomber's actions. This man had been circling me roughly ten times before the explosion. Aftermath, he was seemingly assessing the casualties. Despite being difficult for strangers to enter our district, it appears that someone else facilitated the bomber's arrival here," Nor added.
Al-Shabab has been driven out of Somalia's main towns and cities but has retained power in large swaths of rural areas, and has continued to carry out attacks against security and civilian targets, including in the capital.