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September 25, 2023

21 People Killed in Somalia Bombing as Defense Secretary Austin Praises Fight Against al-Shabab
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In Somalia, at least 21 people were killed and more than 50 others
wounded Saturday as a truck loaded with explosives sped through a
security checkpoint and detonated in a residential neighborhood of the
central Somali town of Beledweyne. The blast reduced buildings and shops
to rubble. No one has claimed responsibility, though the al-Shabab armed
group has been active in the area.

The attack came one day before U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Djibouti, where Austin praised
Somalia's military for what he called its "impressive progress" in the
fight against al-Shabab. Austin is in Nairobi, Kenya, today and will
visit Angola later in the week.


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