Blast in south central Somalia kills 8

Published April 9, 2012 4:09PM (EDT)

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A police official and witnesses say a blast in a vegetable market in south central Somalia has killed at least 8 people and wounded 15.

Abdullahi Ahmed, a police officer in Baidoa, says the explosion came from a roadside bomb buried along the street. But witness Nur Yusuf says the bomb was concealed in a thermos placed along the street where he sells vegetables.

Ahmed says the death toll is likely to rise. He says one suspect has been arrested.

Baidoa was a major base for Somali militants al-Shabab until Ethiopian troops and Somali soldiers seized the key town in February. Some 100 soldiers are now being sent to Baidoa — Somalia's third-largest city — as an advance team for 2,500 troops soon to be deployed there. The AU troops will be stationed alongside Ethiopian troops already in Baidoa.


By Salon Staff

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