Islamist fighters detonated a bomb and then stormed a government building in the Somali capital on Sunday, killing at least five civilians, the Information Ministry said.
The al Shabaab attackers forced their way into the block housing the Mogadishu mayor’s office around noon and were caught up in a firefight with security forces, the ministry and witnesses said.
Security killed six of the militants and cleared the area around 6 p.m. local time, the ministry said on its Facebook page.
Al Shabaab has intensified attacks in a show of resilience since the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud launched a crackdown on the al Qaeda-linked group in August.
“We were in the office and we were deafened by an explosion. We ran out. Gunshots followed,” Farah Abdullahi, who works in the mayor’s office, told Reuters.
Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin Ambulance Services, gave a higher estimate of the death count, saying he had transported the bodies of eight civilian victims.
At least 16 other people were injured in the attack, it added.
The mayor’s office is located in the local government headquarters building in a well-protected area of Mogadishu.
CLOCK | WION Climate Tracker: Drought devastates Somalia, millions need humanitarian aid
Roads in the area have concrete barriers and multiple roadblocks. The building is approximately 1.5 km (1 mile) from Villa Somalia, the president’s office.
Al Shabaab said in a statement that its suicide bombers attacked, “then the foot fighters entered the building after killing the building guards.”
The movement, which has been fighting the government since 2006 and seeks to impose its own interpretation of Islamic law, frequently carries out bombings and gun attacks across the country.
In a sign that the government was expanding its offensive against the group to the south of the country, state television in Jubbaland, one of the country’s semi-autonomous states, reported on Sunday that Somali regional and federal forces launched attacks on Al Shabaab. and seized control of the town of Janay Abdale from the militants.
(With agency contributions)
You can now writes for wionews.com and be part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
