Roadside Bomb Kills 6 in North Somalia

At least six people, including three civilians, were killed Wednesday in northern Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region when a roadside bomb exploded as security forces tried to defuse it.

"Three members of the security forces and three civilians were killed in the explosion," said security official Mahdi Abdulahi.

The blast occurred in the northern part of Galkayo, a town straddling the border separating Puntland from the Galmudug region to the south.

"The civilians thought it was safe and they approached, but then it exploded," said Jama Alale, a grocer living nearby, adding that he had seen dead bodies with limbs ripped off by the explosion.

No group has yet claimed the attack.