African Union forces in Somalia on Tuesday said a "cowardly" bomb attack the previous day had killed 19 people, nearly double the number initially reported.
The car bomb exploded on Monday outside a bank on a busy street in the southern Somali town of Baidoa.
"The blast killed 19 innocent victims and destroyed valuable property," the AU force said in a statement, updating an earlier toll from the police of 10.
The town, which is under the control of government troops backed by AU soldiers, was wrested from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels two years ago.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Shebab have carried out a string of bombings and vowed to overthrow the war-torn country's internationally-backed but fragile government.
"This was a cowardly attack, which highlights the vicious nature of the enemy who continues to target innocent civilians," AU envoy to Somalia Mahamat Saleh Annadif said.
The Shebab have been driven out of fixed positions in Somalia's major towns by the UN-mandated AU force, but still regularly launch attacks that include bombings and guerrilla-style raids.
Recent Shebab attacks have targeted key areas of government or the security forces, in an apparent bid to discredit claims by the authorities that they are winning the war against the Islamist fighters...
The car bomb exploded on Monday outside a bank on a busy street in the southern Somali town of Baidoa.
"The blast killed 19 innocent victims and destroyed valuable property," the AU force said in a statement, updating an earlier toll from the police of 10.
The town, which is under the control of government troops backed by AU soldiers, was wrested from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels two years ago.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Shebab have carried out a string of bombings and vowed to overthrow the war-torn country's internationally-backed but fragile government.
"This was a cowardly attack, which highlights the vicious nature of the enemy who continues to target innocent civilians," AU envoy to Somalia Mahamat Saleh Annadif said.
The Shebab have been driven out of fixed positions in Somalia's major towns by the UN-mandated AU force, but still regularly launch attacks that include bombings and guerrilla-style raids.
Recent Shebab attacks have targeted key areas of government or the security forces, in an apparent bid to discredit claims by the authorities that they are winning the war against the Islamist fighters...
Source: Latest News in Hindi
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