Somalia: Roadside bomb kills
at least 18 on bus Blast explodes as packed minibus
passes by, killing all 18 people on
board, police say. Thursday's attack, which left at least 18 dead,
comes less than a week after a blast at a
Mogadishu hotel killed 15 [Feisal Omar/Reuters] Tell us what you think Stay Informed Subscribe to our newsletter to receive
weekly updates SUBSCRIBE 29 Comments At least 18 civilians were killed when a roadside
bomb went off in Somalia, close to the capital,
blowing up a packed minibus, police said. The blast on Thursday in Lafole, which is
around 20 kms west of Mogadishu, struck as
the bus was passing by. There was no
immediate claim of responsibility. "All the 18 people on board the minibus are
dead and burned. A remotely controlled bomb
along the road exploded," Abidkadir Mohamed,
a police officer at the scene, said. Nur Ahmed, who was driving along the same
road, told the Reuters news agency that the
minibus was being escorted by a lorry carrying
government troops. The government vehicle
escaped undamaged, he said. Sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that the
minibus was being closely followed by
government forces. Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow, reporting from
Kenya's Nairobi, said: "They [government
officials] think it was the forces that were being
targeted in the roadside bomb." The explosion comes less than a week after an attack on a hotel by the al-Shabab armed group in Mogadishu killed at least 15 people. The group, which wants to topple the
government, frequently attacks security forces
and civilians.