A Somali military officer has been killed in IED blast. More than 10 soldiers were also injured in this incident.
At about 11:50am local time on Saturday an explosion targeted ja pickup truck carrying Major Mohamed Dheere, commander of the 8th battalion of Sector 60 in Southwest, killing him and other soldiers including a lieutenant, reports said.
Major Mohamed Dheere and other soldiers were travelling from Baidoa to Bardaale when by the explosion at location called Ideeda when struck by the IED.
“The commander Dhere and his forces were traveling from Baidoa to Berdale when their military vehicles were struck by the explosion, injuring over 11 soldiers,” said a senior military officer in the Southwest State of Somalia.
Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliated group, claimed responsibility for the attack. Bombings and other attacks are common in the capital Mogadishu and Baidoa, although few have been recorded in recent months.
Last week, Somalia’s government said five of its soldiers died in a battle in which they killed nearly 50 fighters in Ceeldheer north of Mogadishu.
The president of the Southwest state, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, sent his condolences to the families of the soldiers and praised Dheere for his key contribution in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
Dheere “played an important role in ensuring the security of the country,” Mohamed said in a statement, adding he will be “remembered” for the operations that defeated the Islamist group.
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