UPDATE: 20 killed in twin explosions in northern Somalia

At least 20 people including Puntland government officials were killed in twin bomb explosions in Galkayo town, about 750 kilometres north of Mogadishu.

Mohamed Warsame, a witnesses said a truck and a car loaded with explosives drove into an administrative compound, killing almost 20 people and thirty others.

“There were two huge bombs. The first one was a truck bomb, followed a minute later by another car bomb. My brother was injured at the scene.” said Warsame.

The fatalities included a local police commander, as well as people at a nearby market, according to Warsame.

“The explosions caused several buildings to collapse and I never saw such explosions,” another witnesses said.

Shabaab said it carried out the attack, in a message distributed via the Telegram messaging service, claiming “at least 30 people, including military personnel and apostates were killed.”

In March, Al-Shabaab attacked a hotel in Galkayo, killing at least six people, including a senior local government official.

Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda working to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, is expected to violently disrupt elections that are to be held in September and October.