The Minister of Regional Justice and two people were killed yesterday, Friday, in an explosion in Baidoa, southwestern Somalia, at a time when border clashes continued between Ethiopian forces and Al-Shabaab militants.
Al-Jazeera correspondent confirmed that the Minister of Regional Justice, Hassan Ibrahim, his son Ibrahim and another civilian were killed in an explosion targeting the minister's convoy.
Mogadishu State Radio said that a landmine exploded the moment the minister and his son left a mosque after Friday prayers, killing them, adding that the explosion also killed a third civilian and wounded 10 others with varying degrees of injuries.
The German news agency reported that the attack was carried out by a suicide bombing, and that 13 people, including the minister, were killed, and at least 20 others were injured.
The head of the state, Abdel Aziz Mahmoud Hussein, accused Al-Shabab of being responsible for the bombing, but no party claimed responsibility for it.
The attack came two days after 22 people were killed in 3 bombings in southern Somalia, which coincided with the announcement by Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Berri of his government's intention to launch a security operation against Al-Shabab in the villages and towns of the south of the country.
Border clashes
In another context, the state news agency in Addis Ababa said that Ethiopian forces in the southeast of the country killed more than 150 Somali al-Shabab fighters during border clashes on Friday, within 9 days.
Al-Shabaab confirmed the clashes, and said it had killed 103 Ethiopian policemen, and had occupied the town of Atto earlier on Friday.
On the other hand, Reuters quoted an Ethiopian field commander that only 14 Ethiopian fighters were killed, noting that the town of Atto is still under his country's control.
Agence France-Presse quoted field sources as saying that Al-Shabaab launched an attack with mortars and firearms on a military base on the Somali-Ethiopian border, which led to the outbreak of clashes that lasted about two hours, as the Ethiopian forces used the support of combat helicopters.
Somali authorities announced last week that they had killed more than 100 al-Shabab fighters who had made an incursion across the border.