A Dozen Detained In A Massive Security Sweep In Baidoa City

At least ten people were reported to have been arrested in a massive security operation by Southwest State police in connection with a bomb attack in the region’s capital, Baidoa.

Local residents said the sweep was carried out in parts of the city, targeting houses suspected to be the hideout for Al-Shabaab sleeping cells mixed into the population.

The arrest came after a grenade attack on a house in Baidoa has left regional MP wounded on Monday afternoon. The attack happened amid rising tension in the Southwest State.

The region is heading to the polls on December 19 to elect next president after former resigned last month in unprecedented move ahead of the presidential election.

Several candidates including former Al-Shabaab deputy leader Mukhtar Robow are vying for the top seat in Southwest state of Somalia in the upcoming polls.