Death toll doubles to 19 in Somali attack

Mogadishu: African Union forces in Somalia on Tuesday said a “cowardly” bomb attack the previous day had killed 19 people, nearly double the number initially reported.

The car bomb exploded on Monday outside a bank on a busy street in the southern Somali town of Baidoa.

“The blast killed 19 innocent victims and destroyed valuable property,” the AU force said in a statement, updating an earlier toll from the police of 10.

The town, which is under the control of government troops backed by AU soldiers, was wrested from the Al Qaida-linked Al Shabab rebels two years ago.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Al Shabab have carried out a string of bombings and vowed to overthrow the war-torn country’s internationally-backed but fragile government.

“This was a cowardly attack, which highlights the vicious nature of the enemy who continues to target innocent civilians,” AU envoy to Somalia Mahamat Saleh Annadif said.