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Gunmen kill cleric at religious center in Somalia: Al Shabaab
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A picture taken on Oct. 15, 2017 shows a general view of the scene of the explosion of a truck bomb in the center of Mogadishu. A truck bomb exploded outside a hotel at a busy junction in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Oct. 14, 2017 causing widespread devastation that left at least 20 dead, with the toll likely to rise. (Agence France -Presse/Mohamed Abdiwahab)
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l Shabaab gunmen attacked a religious center in central Somalia on Monday, killing a cleric and 10 of his followers, a spokesman for the militant Islamist group said.
"A car bomb rammed into the center of the man who insulted the prophet. Our militants are now inside and fighting goes on," Al Shabaab spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters.
He later said the cleric Abdiweli was killed in the attack along with 10 of his followers.
The casualties could not be independently confirmed.
Residents of Galkayo, where the center is located, and a regional official said Abdiweli may have been targeted because his center hosts mostly youths who play music and dance.
Al Shabaab said last year the cleric had referred to himself as the Prophet, an accusation denied at the time by Abdiweli.
"We cannot know the figure of casualties right now. Al Shabaab had threatened him many times," Abdirashid Hashi, the governor of Mudug region, told Reuters.
Al Shabaab is fighting to topple the Somali government and establish its own rule based on its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. The group controls small sections on Mudug region, but it does not include Galkayo.
