Somalian senior officials among killed in twin bombing in Mogadishu

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Oct 2022 16:45

A twin car bombing, claimed by Al-Shabaab in Mogadishu, kills nine people, including senior regional officials.

Twin car bombing rocks Somalia's capital (Reuters)

A twin car bombing in Mogadishu, on Monday, claimed by Islamist group Al-Shabaab, killed nine people, including senior regional officials, according to police.

Mohamed Moalim Ali, a Mogadishu police commander, stated that "the initial information we have received confirms the death of nine people," including a state minister and a commissioner.

Mohamud Addow, who witnessed the attack, said that "the explosion was huge, and it destroyed most buildings," adding, "I saw several people rushed to hospital and some dead bodies... some were unrecognizable."

Furthermore, at least 10 more people were divided between killed and wounded when two "suicide attack" cars were detonated five minutes apart. The attack took place outside the district headquarters of the city of Beledweyne. Among those killed were the health minister of Hirshabelle, as well as the deputy district commissioner.

Earlier on Monday, the Somalian government targeted and killed Al-Shabaab's most notorious leader, Abdullahi Yare, following a decision to intensify the offensive against the Al-Qaeda-linked group.

Yare had a $3.0-million bounty on his head. According to the Somalian ministry of information, a joint airstrike conducted by the Somali army and international security partners in southern Somalia on October 1 successfully eliminated him.

The ministry of information noted that "this leader... was the head preacher of the group and one of the most notorious members of the Shabaab group."

Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud had previously vowed to launch an all-out war against terrorism following a series of attacks that included and are not limited to the 30-hour hotel siege in Mogadishu.

It is worth noting that the Somalian government had urged citizens not to approach Al-Shabaab as government forces and local clan militias have launched an offensive in Hiraan, 300km away from Beledweyne, against the terrorist organization that has waged an insurrection against Somalia for over 15 years now.