Bomb blast in Somalia kills senior intelligence officer

A senior Somali national intelligence and security officer was killed and another senior official wounded in a bomb blast in the country's southwestern province of Gedo on Friday, officials said, in an attack claimed by terrorist group al-Shabab.

Ali Yussuf Abdullahi, Gedo regional administration spokesman, told Anadolu Agency over the phone after the attack that Bakal Koke, the Gedo region intelligence chief, was killed in a bomb attack targeting his convoy while traveling between the town of Luq and Dolow, a town bordering Ethiopia.

He said another senior official who was traveling with the same vehicle has been seriously wounded and airlifted to the capital Mogadishu for treatment.

Mahad Salad, Somalia's national intelligence and security agency chief, also confirmed the death of the senior intelligence officer and ordered the spy agency to "quickly" start investigating the matter.

Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack comes days after the terrorist group lost control of the strategic town of Adan Yabal in Somalia's Middle Shabelle region.

Government forces backed by local clan militias have liberated large swathes of territories mainly in the state of Hirshabele from the group since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahamud announced an "all-out war" on al-Shabab terrorists.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with al-Shabab being one of the main threats.

Since at least 2007, al-Shabab has waged a deadly campaign against the Somali government and international forces, claiming thousands of lives.

The UN has also warned of growing instability in the country, with its periodic reports on Somalia this year detailing attacks by al-Shabab and pro-Daesh/ISIS groups.

There were at least 1,518 civilian casualties-651 killed and 867 injured-in terrorist attacks in Somalia in 2018, followed by 1,459-591 killed and 868 injured-in 2019, according to UN estimates.