At least three people have been killed and more than 14 others wounded when a suicide car bomb blast rocked the town of Jowhar.

A police officer in Jowhar said on Sunday that the attack targeted the Nur Dob hotel, killing at least three people and wounding more than 14 others, including the health minister of Hirshabelle state.

The blast also destroyed many nearby buildings and businesses, he added.

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre condemned the attack and sent his condolences to the victims’ families.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that the explosion had affected nearby buildings and was one of the largest they had heard lately in the Horn of Africa country that has suffered major attacks in recent years.

Jowhar is the administrative centre of Hirshabelle state and is located 90 kilometres (55 miles) north of the national capital Mogadishu.

Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al Shabab claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Al Shabab controls vast swathes of rural Somalia, from where it launches regular attacks in the capital and elsewhere./TRT