Somalia: massive VBIED explosion in Beledweyne

The death toll in a truck bomb explosion in the central Somali town of Beledweyne has risen to 18. Abdirahman Dahir Gure, the interior minister of Hirshabelle state where Beledweyne is located, announced the latest toll on Saturday in the wake of the blast that targeted a security checkpoint in a residential area. Abdifatah Mohamed Yusuf, the director-general of the Hirshabelle Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management, reported that 40 people were wounded. No one claimed responsibility for the attack but the government forces have intensified operations against al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab armed group.