Four footballers killed in Somalia blast

Soldiers serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia during their patrol in Kismayu, Somalia, on October 12, 2013.

Somalia. Four local footballers in Somalia were killed when a powerful explosion ripped through their bus on Friday in what the country's president branded a "barbaric terror attack".

Ten players from the Jubaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry club were heading off for a game at the Kismayo city stadium in southern Somalia when the blast hit.

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo condemned the attack in a statement on Twitter.

“Somali President @M Farmaajo condemns the barbaric attack that claimed the lives of innocent Somali sportspeople in Jubbaland State of Somalia. The president sent his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the quickest recovery of the survivors,” the message shared by Abdirashid M. Hashi, the Director of Communications of the Presidency said.

In his Facebook page Jubbaland President Ahmed Madobe wrote, “Al-Shabaab is determined to target every person, deliberately targeting youngsters, intellectuals and all those who are the eyes of the society. Their act shows that the jihadist group’s ultimate aim is to eliminate the hope and vision of the nation.”

In his message, President Farmaajo vowed to hunt down Al-Shabaab. A similar message came from Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble said, "The desperate acts by the terrorists will never prevent us from peace and state building efforts.”