Al-Shabaab militants killed at least 19 civilians and destroyed trucks loaded with food aid in an overnight attack in Somalia’s central region. The armed group launched the attack in Hiran district in the semi-autonomous state of Hirshabelle in central Somalia. The trucks were carrying food supplies from Baladweyne town to Mahas town, residents said on Saturday. “Terrorists massacred innocent traveling civilians… last night. We don’t have the exact number of victims, but 19 bodies have been collected,” local tribal elder Abdulahi Hared told AFP news agency. “The bodies are still being collected, including women and children. It could be more than 20,” said Ali Jeite, governor of Hiran district where the attack took place. The state-run Sonna news agency reported that al-Shabab fighters set fire to the trucks and “killed most of the people in the vehicles.” Al-Shabab said in a statement that they targeted fighters from a local sub-tribe that had recently helped government forces and that they killed 20 “militiamen and those carrying material for them”, destroying nine of their vehicles. The al-Qaeda-linked group has been fighting Somalia’s central government for more than a decade. It wants to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law. The group frequently launches bombings, gun attacks and other attacks on military and civilian targets. Last month, more than 20 people were killed in an attack in which al-Shabab militants stormed the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, sparking a 30-hour battle as government troops tried to end the siege and free hostages.
