Thursday October 20, 2022
Beledweyne (HOL) - At least 17 severely wounded people from Wednesday’s separate attacks in Bulaburde and Jalalaqsi districts were airlifted to Mogadishu for medical treatment on Thursday.
The National Disaster Management Agency Director, Abdirashid Mohamud Hassan, told reporters at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International airport that those with the most severe injuries would be flown abroad, while others would be treated at Mogadishu hospitals.
More than 21 people, including officials, were killed in two separate bombings in Bulaburde and Jalalaqso districts.
The first attack was a car bomb that exploded in Jalalaqsi town when a vehicle laden with explosives struck a security checkpoint manned by soldiers, killing at least 15 people.
Those killed in the first explosion included the town’s two civilian leaders, Mayor Adan Mohamed Isse and Mohamed Nur Agajof Dabaashe, the district commissioner.
Six other people, including four civilians, were killed in a separate explosion when a three-wheeled motorcycle with explosives attached struck the Bulobarde town bridge.
The vital bridge links Somalia’s south and central regions. Pictures taken by the witnesses show the explosion partially damaged the bridge.
On Tuesday, Somali army spokesperson General Abdullahi Ali Anod reported that government forces and local fighters are completing preparations for new operations against al-Shabab in Hirshabelle, Southwest, Galmudug and Jubaland states.