Al-Shabaab kill 15 in Sufi centre attack in Somalia

More than 15 people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack targeting a religious centre in the town of Galkayo in the central province of Mudug in Somalia today, a security source and eyewitnesses said.

Ahmed Tiri, an officer in the security forces, said Al-Shabaab militants launched the attack on the Sufi centre which is linked to Sheikh Abdul Waleed Alami, south of the city of Galkayo.

After a suicide bomber attacked the centre, militants stormed the centre which was packed with worshippers.

At least 15 people have been killed as a result of  the Al-Shabaab attack, however the number is expected to rise.

The Al-Shabaab group often strikes densely populated areas across Somalia. The group is battling to topple the central government and impose its rule based on its own strict interpretation of Islamic law. It has killed thousands of Somalis and hundreds of civilians across East Africa in a decade-long insurgency.

Since 2012, the group pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, attracting a counter-terrorism air strike campaign by the US.

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