Garowe Online (Garowe)
6 December 2007
A huge explosion rocked the south-central Somali city of Baidoa Thursday morning, apparently targeting an Ethiopian army convoy as it drove near a bridge, witnesses said.
No Ethiopian soldier was hurt, but a female bystander wounded in the explosion was rushed to a local hospital. Another wounded person, detained by authorities, is reported to be the perpetrator who planted the deadly device along the road.
It was not immediately clear if the wounded civilian suffered her injuries from the blast or from subsequent gunfire by Ethiopian troops.
In a separate attack, unidentified gunmen hurled hand grenades at the local police station in Baidoa, wounding at least four officers and two civilians, according to Bay regional police commander Ibrahim Hashi Gabow.
Mr. Gabow confirmed to Garowe Online that the men who attacked the police station evaded capture, but that the suspect who planted the roadside bomb for the Ethiopian convoy is being questioned in custody.
These two explosions that occurred within moments of each other are believed to be the work of rebels waging war against the interim Somali government and its Ethiopian army allies.
Baidoa is a town 250km northwest of the capital Mogadishu. The city has served as the home of Somalia's federal parliament since early 2006.
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