Somali official, 4 others injured in landmine blast

A district commissioner and four other people were wounded Sunday in the border town of Elwak in Gedo, southern Somalia when a landmine exploded in a tea shop, a government official said.

Farah Moalim Bishar, the Deputy Commissioner for Gedo region, said the explosion could have been targeting the district commissioner in the town.

"The explosion went off minutes when the district commissioner Ibrahim Guled Aden and his team were taking tea and meeting with residents. He was injured and so were the guards. They were rushed to a nearby medical facility for treatment," said Bishar.

An eye witness said there was a huge explosion a few minutes after the district commissioner entered the tea shop.

"I did not know what exactly it was, but I fled for safety when I heard a deafening explosion coming from the direction of the restaurant," said the witness.

Elwak is a border town with Kenya, and has been affected by similar instances targeting government officials and humanitarian agencies staff in the past.