More than 20 dead in twin blasts in Somalia town

MOGADISHU: More than 20 people were killed Sunday in two explosions in a town in central Somalia, police said.

The Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility for the blasts in the town of Galkayo, some 700 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu. "There were two car bomb blasts which targeted the local government headquarters. More than 10 people have been killed," said police officer Mohamed Abdiqani.

Local resident Hassan Abdukadir said he counted a dozen bodies, some burned beyond recognition. "It was horrible. The first blast was caused by a truck loaded with explosives, and the second was a minibus," he said.

Shabaab said it carried out the attack, in a message distributed via the Telegram messaging service, claiming "at least 30 people, 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.