KISMAYO, Somalia- At least three Somali soldiers killed, and several wounded in a roadside bomb targeted on military convoy outside the port city of Kismayo, about 500 kilometers south of Mogadishu on Saturday, Garowe Online reports.

The Al Qaida-linked terror group Al Shabaab said in a statement it carried out the deadly attack, which took place at Goobweyn area, some 20 km east of Kismayo town, the regional capital of Jubbaland state.

"Our fighters conducted a bomb attack on Jubbaland forces at Goobweyn village, and killed 3, including senior army officers," said Al Shabaab's military operations spokesman Sheikh Abulaziz Abu Musab.

Jubbaland state which is battling Al Shabaab for years in major areas in southern Somalia is yet to release its own statement concerning Saturday's attack in Goobweyn district.

Al Shabaab has intensified attacks, including car bombs in the capital Mogadishu, and other parts of the country in a bid to overthrow the western-backed Somali Federal government. 

the surge in the Al Shabaab attacks comes amid the preparation to hold the presidential election on February 8, 2017.

GAROWEONLINE