Bomb Explosion Reported In Baidoa Town, No Casualties

A loud explosion was heard last night in the downtown Baidoa, the interim capital city of Southwest State of Somalia, police, and witnesses said.

The explosion has resulted from a grenade bomb carried out by men riding on an auto rickshaw who managed to escape the scene before the arrival of the local security forces.

There were reports of arrests made following the blast, which did not cause any casualties on civilians as well as the soldiers.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack which comes days after Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo visited the strategic city, situated 250Km southwest of Mogadishu.

Baidoa has been relatively stable since last year and the government forces have been conducting operations in the city to flush out Al-Shabab sympathizers and sleeping cells.