Hargeisa (WDN) — A rare and deeply unsettling security incident has shaken Hargeisa after a hand grenade exploded in the city overnight, injuring four people in an incident that appears highly unusual for Somaliland, widely regarded as one of the safest and most stable parts of Somalia.

According to the Somaliland Police Command, the explosion injured four people—two civilians and two members of the Somaliland military. All four were taken to Hargeisa General Hospital, where they are receiving medical treatment.

Police said the explosion occurred at a location where two Somaliland soldiers were sitting. A hand grenade reportedly detonated at the scene, causing injuries to the two soldiers as well as two civilians who were nearby.

The circumstances surrounding the explosion remain under investigation.In a statement, police said the grenade fell to the ground from one of the injured soldiers, although authorities have not yet explained how the device came into his possession or what caused it to detonate.

The incident has caused particular alarm because serious security incidents involving explosives are exceptionally rare in Hargeisa.

Somaliland has long been regarded as one of the more peaceful and secure areas of Somalia, with Hargeisa generally insulated from the kind of militant attacks, bombings and armed violence that have periodically affected other major Somali cities.

The explosion has generated shock among residents and raised questions about how a hand grenade came to be present in a public setting in the capital.

While there is currently no indication from the authorities that the incident was a terrorist attack, police have yet to establish the full circumstances surrounding the explosion.

Investigation Underway

The Somaliland Police Command said its investigation remains ongoing and promised to provide further details once the circumstances become clearer. The authorities have not identified any suspect, nor have they suggested that the explosion was linked to an organized militant group.

For now, the incident remains an unexplained explosion involving a military-grade hand grenade, with both soldiers and civilians among the casualties. The rarity of such an event in Hargeisa has nevertheless amplified public concern.

For decades, Somaliland’s relative stability has been one of its defining characteristics and a central part of its political identity. Any incident involving explosives in the heart of the capital is therefore likely to attract considerably more attention than a similar event elsewhere in Somalia.

As investigators work to determine exactly what happened, residents are waiting for answers to the most important questions: How did the grenade reach the scene, why did it explode, and was the incident accidental or something more deliberate?

Until those questions are answered, the explosion remains a disturbing and highly unusual event in a city that has long prided itself on its exceptional record of security.

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