Nine people were killed and scores of others injured in a twin car bomb attack in the village of Mahas, in central Somalia.

This was reported by sources from the security forces and eyewitnesses, reported France Press.

The attack, attributed to radical Islamists from the al-Shabaab group, was carried out in Hiran province, where local clan militias and the Somali army launched a major operation against Islamist insurgents months ago.

"Terrorists (Al-Shabaab", note AFP) attacked the city of Mahas this morning with cars full of explosives. All those killed were civilians," Abdullahi Adan of the local security forces told AFP.

According to eyewitnesses, the explosions took place near a restaurant located near an administrative building. 

More than 10 victims in a terrorist attack on a hotel in the capital of Somalia

Osman Noor, a senior police official from Mahas, said the blasts killed "innocent civilians" and accused al-Shabaab of targeting ordinary citizens after being defeated in a government operation against them.

Al-Shabaab, a group linked to al-Qaeda, has been fighting the federal government, backed by the international community, since 2007.

Driven out of Somalia's main cities in 2011-2012, the Islamists still hold strong positions in vast rural areas.

Somalia

victims of an assassination attempt