Garowe Online (Garowe)
8 July 2009
Kismayo — The explosion took place at a town called Kam Jaron, located 70km west of the port city of Kismayo, which is controlled by Al Shabaab Islamists.
Locals reported that the explosion was loud and could be heard in surrounding towns.
"The source of the explosion was a landmine and the children were playing with it [landmine]," said a witness, who described a gruesome scene with the children's body pieces on the ground.
Al Shabaab guerrillas in Kismayo have not spoken publicly about the deadly accident.
According to local sources, the area where the explosion took place was mined in 2008 during a time of battles in Lower Jubba region.
Separately, the Al Shabaab spokesman in Kismayo, Sheikh Hassan Yakub, said airport and port facilities in southern Somalia under the control of Al Shabaab are "still functioning" despite efforts by the East African regional bloc IGAD to shut down the facilities.
"The port [of Kismayo] is working and there are three ships docked [now]," said Sheikh Yakub, while vowing that the insurgency will continue until the Somali government is overthrown.
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