Somalia:35 people killed in two car-bomb attacks in Hiran region

In Somalia, at least 35 people, including nine members of a single family have been killed in two simultaneous car-bomb attacks in the Hiran region. Mahas District Commissioner Mumin Mohamed Halane told that one bomb targeted his house and the other hit the home of a member of the Federal Parliament. According to media reports, the Al-Qaeda linked group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declared “all-out war” against Al-Shabab, which has been waging a bloody insurgency against the frail internationally-backed federal government for 15 years. However, the insurgents have frequently retaliated with bloody attacks, underlining their ability to strike at the heart of Somali towns and military installations despite the offensive.Al-Shabab’s activities have also restricted deliveries of international aid, compounding the impact of the Horn of Africa’s worst drought in four decades.The militant group has been locked in an insurgency with government forces since 2007. and while it has been forced out of urban centers, it has managed to remain rooted in the rural central and southern parts of the country.There have been a string of deadly attacks in recent months.