Wednesday October 15, 2025
FILE - An aerial view of Beledweyne, the capital of Somalia’s Hiiraan region, shows the city divided by the Shabelle River
Beledweyne (HOL) — A powerful explosion at a café in the central Somali city of Beledweyne killed at least three civilians and wounded four others on Wednesday, in what security officials believe was a deliberate attack involving an improvised explosive device.
The blast struck a small café in the Buundoweyn neighbourhood near the Isbartiibo junction, an area often frequented by government troops and members of the Ma’awisleey militia. Witnesses said the explosion occurred late in the morning as civilians were seated inside. Among the dead was a woman, while those wounded were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Security officials said no soldiers were at the café when the device detonated, suggesting the bomb may have been planted earlier. The attack bore the hallmarks of Al-Shabaab, the al-Qaida–linked group that has claimed responsibility for similar bombings targeting military and civilian sites across central Somalia.
Authorities in Beledweyne have yet to issue a statement or announce any arrests. The city, a key commercial and administrative hub along the Shabelle River, has endured repeated attacks by insurgents despite ongoing military operations to reclaim territory and weaken Al-Shabaab’s network. The Somali government, backed by clan militias and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), has intensified counterinsurgency campaigns across the Hiiraan region.