ISIS claims first attack in Somalia

The so-called Islamic State group has claimed its first suicide attack in Somalia, which police said killed five people at a checkpoint in the northeastern port city of Bosaso.

The group’s news Agency Amaq described the attack as a “martyrdom-seeking operation in which an explosive vest was used.

The attack occured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives vest at a checkpoint late Tuesday in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

All efforts to stop the suspect failed as the vest was detonated before police intervention leaving one police officer and four civilians dead.

Several witnesses suggest the perpetrator of the attack was targeting a hotel before being stopped at a check point near the hotel.

The Puntland region of Somalia has often been the target of attacks carried out by the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.

However there are reports that former Al-Shabaab militants who resigned to join the so-called Islamic State reside in the area.