Bomb explosion outside Dhusamareb Middle School in coastal area of the semi-autonomous south-central state of Galmudug kills at least seven people and injures 14
Eight people were killed and 13 others injured on Friday when a bomb exploded outside a primary school in a coastal district of Somalia’s semi-autonomous south-central state of Galmudug, the regional government said.
The deputy governor of Galmudug, Saleban Mursalin, said the bomb detonated as the school’s children and teachers were leaving for home in a “targeted terrorist attack”.
Authorities have not yet claimed responsibility for the explosion, which struck in front of the school’s gate on the outskirts of the town of Dhusamareb in the Kismayo region.
It was the second attack targeting children in less than a week in the region, which has been repeatedly targeted by Islamist insurgents and their sympathisers.
Last Monday three girls and a teacher were killed when a bomb exploded outside a primary school in Dhusamareb.
On Tuesday two men were killed and four others injured when an improvised explosive device detonated outside a primary school in the town of Beledweyne, the capital of the semi-autonomous region of Abyei.
The Somali government is battling an Islamist insurgency led by al-Shabaab, a group affiliated with al-Qaida. They frequently bomb government targets and their main weapon is landmines laid in and around the country’s territories.