Bomb blast outside a soccer stadium in Somalia leaves five dead

BELEDWEYNE, Somalia — A remote-controlled landmine exploded at a packed football stadium in central Somalia and killed five, including spectators while wounding seven others, a witness said on Tuesday, Garowe Online reports.

Ahmed Yusuf, a witness told Garowe Online via phone that the bomb had been buried in the sandy stadium and went off during the local-level match in the afternoon with the attendance of many residents. Two soldiers are among the dead. 

“The explosion targeted local footballers and football fans. What we can confirm is that five people were killed and seven others wounded, some in critical condition and being treated at the hospital," Yusuf said.

The city which lies some 332 kilometers (206 miles) north of Mogadishu hosts Djiboutian troops serving under African Union [AU] mission in Somalia [AMISOM], fighting Al-Shabaab group for nearly 10 years.

Tuesday’s explosion comes two days after Al-Shabaab squad carried out an attack on the beachfront Elite hotel in Mogadishu that killed at least 16 people, including 2 officials with defense and information ministries.

The group often targets high-profile areas of Somalia’s capital, and it was blamed for the 14th October 2017 truck bombing at Zoobe junction that killed 578 people in the country’s deadliest-ever attack.

The U.S. military, which has stepped up efforts against Al-Shabaab in the past years with frequent drone strikes in the country, has said Somali forces are not yet ready as the 22,000 AU troops started to exit.

GAROWE ONLINE