Three killed in Somalia market blast

By : AFP

Date: 13 April 2016 3:00pm WAT

Somali soldiers stand at the scene of car bomb at Al Hindi restaurant, near government offices, in Mogadishu on April 11, 2016. At least five people including two children were killed today in a car bomb blast outside government offices in the capital Mogadishu, a local government spokesman said. The car, which was packed with explosives, was parked in front of shops near the headquarters of the city's local government. / AFP PHOTO / MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB

At least three people were killed and six others wounded in a blast at a busy livestock market in Somalia on Wednesday, a security officer said.

The blast, the latest in a string of attacks in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation, took place in the busy Afgoye district, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu.

“Three people died in the blast and six others wounded from what seems to have been a grenade,” said local security official Abdukadir Mohamed.

The explosion took place while the market was crowded with traders and farmers selling and buying animals.

“There was chaos, people were running for shelter, several bodies were strewn around – including two soldiers,” said Ahmed Gure, a local resident.

No group has so far claimed the attack but the Al-Qaeda linked Shebab, which is fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government frequently sets off bombs.