Somali Lawmaker Among 15 People Killed in Overnight Attacks

At least 15 people, including a lawmaker, were killed and more than 20 others injured after two explosions overnight in the Somali town of Beledweyne, police and health officials said.

The first attack was by a suicide bomber targeting lawmaker Amina Mohamed Abdi and her bodyguards, according to Hanad Hassan, a police officer.

A second explosion from a vehicle laden with explosives took place roughly 10 minutes later and killed 10 people and destroyed parts of the town’s main hospital, according to Ikran Ma’ow, a nurse. Former member of parliament Ali Abdi Duhul was killed in that incident.

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble condemned the attacks in Beledweyne and an earlier one at the airport in the capital, Mogadishu, which he said were politically motivated and aimed at disrupting elections and intimidating Somalia’s people.