According to Garowe Online, a local news agency, the bomber blew himself up in a crowded restaurant after approaching a group of military officials. The media outlet has identified the two slain military authorities as Col. Abdihukun Abdullahi Mohamud (also known as Horreye), and Abdiqani Ahmed Khaire.
Garowe Online reports that the blast took lives of at least six people and injured eight others.
However, Reuters, citing local police officer Abdirahman Haji, said the attack was conducted in a military camp. According to the police, as quoted by the agency, the death toll might rise.
READ MORE: Twin Bomb Blasts Kill 2 in Somalia's Capital, 4 Militants Eliminated — Reports
The militants of the Al-Shabaab terror group, who have sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda*, have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Galkayo Governor Colonel Xoreey and other officials died in a suicide bombing in Galkayo.
— ibrahim Haji (@IbraObrahim) April 28, 2018
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the site of the explosion, killing one officer and another officer, C / Qani Ahmed Geyre, and other officials accompanied by officials. pic.twitter.com/KrIkB0xQGm
The country has been engulfed in violence since the eruption of a civil war between clan-based armed factions in the early 1990s. Al-Shabaab has conducted numerous attacks throughout the country in an attempt to impose a radical version of Sharia law.
READ MORE: As US Forces Struggle to Hold Territory in Somalia, Peacekeepers Continue Exodus
*al-Qaeda — terror group, banned in numerous countries, including Russia
