SW News: Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based Islamic insurgency group active in East Africa, in an overnight attack killed at least 19 civilians living in Somalia’s central location and torched a truck packed with relief food, said state news agency and local officials on Saturday.

The incident happened in the Hiran area in the semi-autonomous state of Hirshabelle in central Somalia. Food trucks were carrying supplies from Baladweyne city to Mahas town. “The terrorists massacred innocent civilians who were traveling … last night. We don’t have the exact number of victims, but 19 dead bodies have been collected,” Abdulahi Hared, a local clan elder, told Reuters.

State news agency Sonna revealed that the al Shabaab fighters burnt down trucks carrying food supplies to Mahas and “killed most of the people on board the vehicles”.

“The dead bodies are still being collected, including women and children. They could be more than 20,” said Ali Jeyte, the governor of the Hiran region. This horrifying incident happened just a month after the siege and attack of Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, where the military stormed the hotel releasing captives after a 30-hour battle with Islamist militants, killing more than 20 people.

The Islamic group has been targeting Somalia’s government for more than a decade. They want to topple the government and impose their rule in the country based on the strict interpretation of Islamic law.

"Al Shabaab is doing all these things in order to make us surrender. But we shall never surrender to al Shabaab as long as there is a soul in us. Government forces have not reached the scene yet," said Farah Aden, a local elder.

In 2008, The US government declared al-Shabaab a terrorist organization under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.