His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon today condemned the attack in Galkayo which resulted in a number of casualties.

The suicide bombing targeted senior police officials in the central town of Galkayo. Al Shabaab, the foreign-led, Al Qaeda-allied group, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"While we work hard on national security and stabilisation to build a better future for Somalis, Al Shabaab has once again demonstrated by this cowardly attack that it has nothing positive to offer our country," the Prime Minister said. "It is a foreign agenda that has no place in Somalia. I send my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives today."

The Prime Minister stated that the Somali government fully supports Puntland's efforts to maintain security and was currently finalising the National Security and Stabilisation Plan, in close coordination with Somalia's international partners.