At least 20 people, including civilians and security personnels, were killed in two suicide bomb attacks in the central Somali town of Galkayo on Sunday, reported Reuters. "There were two huge bombs. The first one was a truck bomb, followed a minute or so [later] by another car bomb. My brother was injured at the scene," Halima Ismail, a local resident, told the news agency.

Al Qaeda affiliated militant group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The group said "at least 30 people, including military personnel and apostates were killed" in the attacks, according to AFP. Several people were also injured in the blasts that took place in a town, which is around 700 kilometres from Mogadishu, the country's capital. A doctor at Galkayo hospital, where the injured are being treated, said the death toll might go up further.

The militant group has carried out several attacks against the country's government, military and civilians in the recent past. In March, at least six people were killed when the outfit attacked a hotel in Galkayo.