Somalia: Governor survives bomb that injured 3 soldiers

BOSASO, Puntland - The governor of an important province in Puntland, northeast of Somalia escaped an apparent assassination attempt Wednesday after a bomb struck his vehicle, Garowe Online reports.

The roadside bomb in Bosaso, aimed at the convoy of Bari region’s governor, Yusuf Mohamed, wounded three security guards, according to local police. Mohamed was not travelling in the vehicle at the time.

“No deaths have been recorded so far, but, three bodyguards were injured as a result of the blast and they have been admitted in hospital for medical assistance,” an official at the governor's office, told Garowe Online.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday’s blast that follows the arrest of several terrorists by Puntland security forces during an operation in the port city last week.

Al-Shabab and ISIL-linked militants have often attacked security officials and business people in Bosaso in an attempt to weaken the government's control over the region.

Following his election victory last January, Puntland’s president Said Abdullahi Deni pledged to focus on the security and fight against the terrorist groups in his oil-rich region.

GAROWE ONLINE