By Omar Nor
KISMAYO (Somalilandsun)–A witness says at least two Jubbaland administration soldiers were killed and several others were wounded in a powerful roadside bomb blast occurred in Somalia’s southern port
city of Kismayo , the capital of Lower Jubba region Tuesday morning.
The blast appeared to target a convoy belonging to Jubbland forces in Dalkacada neighborhood at around 8 p.m. local time. The blast has sent a plume of black smoke into the sky.
A resident who asked anonymity, fearing his own security has confirmed the incident to the local media, saying the locals woke up to a deafening bomb blast that could be heard across the city.
“The convoy was attacked this morning as it was passing near Kismayo general hospital towards the city’s main airport,” he added.
Eyewitnesses said the type of the blast is believed to be a remote controlled road side mine. The wounds were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Kismayo authorities were unavailable to reach for comments on the attack.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast. The attack was the deadliest since the Jubbland forces took over the city just barely two months ago.
The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab militant group had used Kismayo as their main base for many years before Somali forces backed up by Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) under AMISOM command forced them out of the port city last year, 2012.
The writer Omar Nor, is a freelance journalist based in Mogadishu
Contact: omaarnur@Gmail.com
