Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Somalia: Blast, Gunfire near Mayoral Office Kills Several


Mon 23 Jan 2023 | 12:21 AM
Israa Farhan

On Sunday, officials and witnesses said an explosion followed by gunshots rocked the Somali capital, killing at least five civilians and six attackers, and 16 others were reportedly injured at the scene.

Witnesses reported that the explosion destroyed buildings near the headquarters of the provincial government.

"Terrorists blasted a vehicle loaded with explosives onto a perimeter wall of the Mogadishu mall which is next to the Banadir administration headquarters," police officer Abdullahi Mohamed told the AFP news agency.

The Associated Press news agency, quoting an employee of the government building, reported that gunmen entered and exchanged fire with security forces after the blast.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Sunday's attack came just days after seven soldiers were killed by al-Shabab in a military camp in central Somalia. According to the US military, about 100 jihadists linked to the group took part in the attack on Friday.

Earlier this month, two car bombs targeted the homes of government officials killing at least 35 people in the central Hiraan region.

Militants have been waging a violent insurgency against the internationally-backed Somali government since 2007.

Last year, the Somali government declared "total war" against al-Shabab and has since retaken some of the communities once held by the group in the center and south of the country.