Somalia: Grenade blast injures 4 in Baidoa City

BAIDOA, Somalia - At least four people were wounded in a grenade explosion in Baidoa city, the interim administrative capital of Southwest, a Federal State in southern Somalia, Garowe Online reports.

A witness said the incident took place on Thursday afternoon when suspected Islamists lobbed a grenade at local forces during a security patrol in the city's Onkod neighborhood. The assailants fled the area unscathed.

The blast has left a soldier and three civilians injured, who have been admitted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, according to the witness, who spoke to GO on condition of anonymity. 

Meanwhile, Southwest regional security forces have sealed off the scene afterward and carried out a manhunt. No group has so far claimed the responsibility for the grenade assault.

The attack came barely a day after the leaders of the country's five Federal Member States concluded a three-day decisive conference held in the town under tight security.

Al-Shabaab, the Al Qaeda-aligned extremist group has in the past staged such bombings in the country, targeting security personnel and government buildings, mainly in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

GAROWE ONLINE