MOGADISHU,(AA):  At least 13 people were killed and dozens injured in twin suicide attacks by militant group al-Shabaab in Somalia Sunday, police said.

The attacks, in Galkayo, capital of the north-central Mudug region, also caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to property such as office furniture, Somali national news agency Sonna reported.

“First a car bomb attack, then a suicide bomber blew himself up at a local government station near a market,” Sonna reported.

The blasts were followed by an exchange of gunfire between other attackers and security officers in front of a municipal building.

The section of the city where the attacks took place is controlled by Puntland regional state, a self-declared autonomous region.

The militant group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Author Felix Nkambeh Tih

[Photo: Previous suicide attack at restaurant near presidential palace in Mogadishu last year in January. Photographer: Nour Gelle Gedi/AA]