A devastating car bombing occurred at a security checkpoint in Beledweyne, a central city in Somalia, resulting in the death of at least 15 individuals and injuring 40 others on Saturday. The explosion has heightened concerns about the ongoing threat posed by extremist groups in the region.
Abdifatah Mohamed Yusuf, the director-general of the Hirshabelle Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management, confirmed the casualties. He further detailed that “Twenty of the wounded have been admitted to Beledweyne hospitals, while another 20 are in critical condition, prompting a request for their airlift to Mogadishu for advanced medical treatment.”
Beledweyne, the capital of the Hiran region, falls under the jurisdiction of the Hirshabelle state. The city has recently been the focal point of the Somali government’s intensified military campaign against the extremist group al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda in East Africa. This extremist group has a history of employing car bombings as a tactic. A notable instance from October 2022 targeting the country’s education ministry resulted in 100 fatalities and left hundreds more wounded.
Dr. Suleyman Abdi Ali, who oversees the Beledweyne General Hospital, reported receiving the bodies of 10 victims from the explosion.
While al-Shabab has been responsible for numerous attacks in Somalia over the years, including a hotel siege in August 2022 that killed 21 and injured over 100, they have not yet claimed responsibility for this recent bombing.
A witness to the incident, Abdikadir Arba, recounted the events leading up to the explosion. He stated, “It was a truck loaded with explosive devices that forcefully passed through the government-manned checkpoint, and a pickup vehicle belonging to security personnel was chasing it when it exploded.” Arba, who was approximately 200 meters from the explosion, was among the first to respond to the scene.
This latest attack underscores the persistent challenges faced by the Somali government in its efforts to establish stability and security in the face of extremist threats.
