(Bloomberg) -- An explosion from a car bomb meant for a senior Somali army official has left eight people dead in central Somalia, local police said.
The car bomb went off on Saturday evening just outside a hotel in Galkayo where Somali Ground Forces Commander Brigadier General Abdihamid Mohamed Dirir held a meeting with officials, according to Jama Hassan Ali, a local police officer.
The commander's guards were among those killed in the blast. The al-Qaeda-linked militants al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement aired by Radio Andalus that supports the group.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Omar Ahmed in Garowe at mahmed76@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Niluksi Koswanage at nkoswanage@bloomberg.net
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