A suicide bomber blew himself up near a security convoy in the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia on Thursday, leaving eight dead and 37 injured.
The attack took place in the port city of Bosaso, about 1,500 kilometres north-east of Mogadishu. The city is the largest in Puntland and its key commercial centre.
“Three soldiers and four civilians are dead in the attack, while 37 others were rushed to hospitals” said Puntland security minister Khalif Isse Mudan. The attacker also died.
“The target was local government security forces who went to Bosasso Market for shopping,” said Mr. Mudan.
Mr. Mudan blamed the attack on Islamist group al-Shabaab, which normally operates in the southern regions of the country. However, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.