At least 10 dead in twin blasts in a town of Somalia

More than 10 people have been killed today in two explosions in a town of central Somalia says police. The Shabaab militant group claimed responsibilty for the blasts in the town of Galkayo that is about 700 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu.

There were two car bomb blasts which targeted the local government headquarters. Local resident Hassan Abdukadir says that he counted a dozen bodies in which some burned beyond recognition. He says "It was horrible. The first blast was caused by a truck loaded with explosives and the second was a minibus".

Shabaab said it carried out the attack through a message distributed via Telegram messaging service claiming at least 30 people killed including military personnel and apostates were killed."

The Shabaab carries out regular attacks against government military and civilian targets using suicide car bombers and gunmen. It was in the month of March this Shabaab militants attacked a hotel in Galkayo killing at six people including a senior local government official. 

An Al-Qaeda aligned group the Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in the capital Mogadishu and it is expected to try and violently disrupt elections to be held in September and October. 

The Shabaab was forced out of the capital by African Union soldiers five years ago but continues to launch regular attacks including in recent months on restaurants, hotels and military bases.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya. A recent security analysis warned the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in countries like Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as in Somalia.