Al Qaeda-affiliated militants also destroyed trucks loaded with food in the deadly attack in the Hiran region.
Al-Shabab militants have killed at least 19 civilians and destroyed trucks loaded with food in a night attack in Somalia’s central region.
The armed group launched the attack in the Hiran area in the semi-autonomous state of Hirshabelle in central Somalia. The trucks were transporting food supplies from the town of Baladweyne to Mahas, local residents said on Saturday.
“The terrorists massacred innocent civilians who were out and about last night. We don’t have an exact number of victims, but 19 bodies were collected,” local clan elder Abdulahi Hared told AFP.
“The bodies are still being collected, including women and children. It could be more than 20,” said Ali Jeyte, the governor of the Hiran region where the attack took place.
State news agency Sonna reported that al-Shabab militants set fire to the trucks and “killed most of the people on board the vehicles.”
Al-Shabab said in a statement they targeted fighters from a local sub-clan that recently aided government forces and killed 20 “militiamen and those transporting materials for them” and destroyed nine of their vehicles.
The al-Qaeda-affiliated group has been fighting Somalia’s central government for more than a decade. They want to set up their 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 forces tried to break the siege and free hostages.