At least three killed, seven injured in truck bomb attack on hotel in central Somalia

At least three people have been killed and seven injured, including several regional ministers, by a truck bombing claimed by the jihadist organization Al Shabaab in the city of Jowhar, capital of Hirshabelle state, in central Somalia.

The truck has exploded at the entrance of the Nur Dob hotel and among the wounded are the former deputy speaker of the regional parliament and regional ministers of Health and Women’s Affairs, according to official sources in statements reported by the ‘Somali Guardian’.

The deceased have been identified as a military man and two civilians, the president of the Hirshabelle region, Ali Gudlawe, has confirmed to the Somali state television SNTV.

In addition, former deputies, directors and other officials have also been hospitalized for injuries sustained in the assault.

The attack comes weeks after Somali President Hassan Shaykh Mohamud announced the start of a new campaign to eliminate the jihadist organization, one of the most feared on the African continent.

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has expressed his condolences to Gudlawe, and “his grief over Sunday’s cowardly terrorist attack” in Jowhar.