On Thursday, two people were killed, and five others were injured in a suicide bombing in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. The Al-Shabaab terrorist group, fighting Somali forces for years to establish an Islamic State in Somalia, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to witnesses and the police, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device inside a tea shop near a crowded area in northern Mogadishu. The bombing follows a similar attack by the terrorists in a crowded café in Mogadishu last month that killed ten people and wounded dozens.
Moreover, in a separate operation over the past week, Somali forces and local militias killed 25 Al-Shabaab terrorists in the Galmudug state in central Somalia. On Wednesday, the Somali government stated that 25 Al-Shabaab militants were killed in a joint operation conducted by the military and local militias. According to Somalia’s Information Ministry, the Somali army and local forces from the Galmudug state launched an operation targeting Al-Shabaab strongholds in the province over the last few days.
The Ministry also reported the death of five Galmudug fighters. “On our side, among those who lost their precious lives was the commander of Galmudug’s Horseed Battalion, Mohamed Ali,” the statement read. It added that the fighting took place at Aad village in the Mudug area.
Furthermore, on Monday, the Somali government claimed that it had killed hundreds of jihadis in operations over the last months. In the past two months, Somali forces and Galmudug state fighters launched military offensives against Al-Shabaab bases in the region and captured strategic towns from the militants.
In July, the United States (US) military conducted a drone strike targeting Al-Shabaab fighters for the first time in six months. According to the US Africa Command, the strike was launched to help the Danab, an elite US-trained Somali commando unit, in an operation against Al-Shabaab.
The US fears that the Horn of Africa region could become an Al-Shabaab hotspot and a potential base for launching attacks on American soil if the militant group is not contained. Over the last decade, the US has provided billions to train and equip the African Union Mission in Somalia and the Somali armed forces.
In 2017, the Trump administration authorised the deployment of US troops in the country for the first time since 1994. The US announced the withdrawal of troops in 2021. Washington has been carrying out drone strikes against Al-Shabaab since 2004 and launched 63 strikes in 2019 and 53 in 2020.
Al Shabaab, or ‘the youth’, is an al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist group formed in the early 2000s to establish an Islamic state in Somalia. The group has carried out deadly attacks, including suicide bombings, in Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda, killing more than 4,000 civilians over the last ten years.
At Least 2 Killed in Suicide Attack in Somalia’s Capital Mogadishu
At least two people were killed in a suicide attack claimed by Al-Shabaab in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Thursday. In a separate operation, Somali security forces killed 25 Al-Shabaab militants.
August 20, 2021
Armed Al-Shabaab fighters are seen on pickup trucks, 2008. SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS