Bereder — Bardere, a key town near the Kenya border woke up to a devastating attack carried out by a suspected Al-Shabaab bomber in the early hours of Tuesday.
A suicide attack struck the guest house in Bardere district of Gedo region, where top local administration officials and the military commanders of the country’s army were staying.
The reports say that the blast injured the Governor of Gedo region, Ahmed Bule Gared and the commander of the SNA’s 43rd division.
The exact number of the death toll still remains sketchy as Gedo region’s officials are yet to speak about the explosion. Security forces cordoned off the area near the attacked house.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing but local security officials pointed the finger of the blame at Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group.
The attack comes amid reports that Somali president Hassan Sheikh is planning to pay a visit to Gedo to resolve the long-standing standoff over the control of the region.
The government of Somalia is mobilizing currently a final offensive involving troops from Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti to bring an end to the presence of Al-Shabaab in the country.