On Friday night, radical Shebab Islamists attacked a road in central Somalia, killing at least 19 civilians.
Local authorities and clan leaders claim that at least eight passenger minibuses and trucks that were traveling on a road between the towns of Beledweyne and Maxaas were stopped, their occupants were bundled together, and then set on fire, killing them.
The fate of several other alleged victims who were allegedly kidnapped by the attackers is unknown.
Two weeks prior, the Shebab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, launched a spectacular attack on a hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, leaving at least 21 people dead and 117 injured.
The Shebab extremists claimed in a statement that they had attacked fighters from a nearby subclan.
Security forces and local fighters announced in August that they had retaken a number of villages that had previously been under al-Shebab control.
The president of Somalia denounced the heinous crimes against defenseless civilians on Saturday night.
Since his election in May, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has faced a rise in extremist activity. He has pledged that the government will make every effort to combat terrorism.
The radical group has been at war with the internationally supported federal government since 2007.
