At least 13 people were killed yesterday in twin bombings near UN and African Union buildings adjoining Mogadishu’s airport, police said, in what the Al Shebaab group claimed as a suicide attack.
The Al Qaeda aligned Shebaab group is blamed for a string of bloody assaults in Somalia and neighbouring Kenya, and is fighting to overthrow Mogadishu’s internationally-backed government.
“At least 13 people were confirmed to have died in two explosions, one of the vehicles went off near a security checkpoint and another close to a UN compound,” said Bishaar Abdi Gedi, a police official.
“The security forces have managed to intercept the attackers and foiled the attacks,” Gedi said.
A Shebaab statement said it was a suicide attack by its militants.
“The two explosions were carried out by two brave Mujahedeen suicide bombers and they have targeted two different locations where the so-called AMISOM peacekeepers are stationed,” it said, referring to the African Union mission to Somalia.
An AFP journalist at the scene heard gunfire after the explosions tore through the area.
The city’s airport is heavily fortified and adjoins the capital’s main base for AMISOM, the 22,000-strong force backing the government in the battle against Shebaab insurgents.
AMISOM troops were deployed to Somalia in 2007 to defend the government against attacks by the Shebaab.
“Around 9am there was an explosion outside one of our gates, about 200m away,” mission spokesman Joe Kibet said.
“It looks like an attack, they intended to attack. Now the situation is calm and our personnel are working on it,” he added.
Shebaab were forced out of the capital five years ago but continue to carry out regular attacks on military, government and civilian targets.
In recent months they have claimed attacks on bases of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as well as civilian targets including hotels.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari flagging off the newly commissioned fast train service from Abuja-Kaduna in Abuja yesterday.
