At least two soldiers were killed, and three wounded in a deadly grenade explosion in the southern town of Bardere in Gedo region on Wednesday, Idale News Online reports.
Capt. Abdulkadir Hussein, a Somali Police officer in the town said the attack took place after assailants suspected to be Al Shabaab members have tossed a grenade bomb at a security checkpoint manned by Somali National Army (SNA).
The security forces have shot dead one of the attackers shortly after the blast, Hussein added. Several civilians who were nearby the scene were injured and taken to hospital.
The Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab militants have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they targeted senior army officers in the checkpoint, according to statement aired by the pro-media Andalus Radio.
In the aftermath of the blast, Somali Federal government forces beefed up security as they launched an operation to arrest the suspected Al Shabaab members hiding out in the southern town.
Al Shabaab militants who have been driven out of large swathes of areas in Gedo by Somali and AMISOM troops in the past four years, still continue launching sporadic attacks against allied forces in the region.
