MOGADISHU, Somalia
At least 10 people were killed and several others were injured when al-Shabaab terrorists stormed a residential building in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, sprayed indiscriminate bullets with automatic weapons on civilians, and one of them blew himself up.
Five terrorists from the al-Shabaab group, which is linked to the al-Qaeda terror network, attacked the residential building near Mogadishu’s main Liido beach on Tuesday evening, where a senior Somali military official also lives, according to local media.
The Information Ministry said in a statement that the attack began with a suicide bombing, followed by gunfire that killed 10 people.
The security forces completed the operation and killed four terrorist attackers, the ministry said.
Four security personnel were injured during the operation that ended the al-Shabaab militants’ siege of the building, it added.
Local media reported that some injured fighters from the government-backed armed militia known as Macwisley were staying at the residential building when al-Shabaab militants attacked it.
Macwisley is a clan-based militia fighting al-Shabaab terrorists in the country’s central provinces.
Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its propaganda website, claiming that it had attacked a Macwisley base and killed more than 70 people.
Meanwhile, the Somali government announced on Tuesday that the army, backed by international partners, carried out a 30-hour operation against terrorists in the Middle Shabelle region, killing 42 al-Shabaab militants.
The ministry said in a separate statement that the military, backed by the central state of Galmudug regional forces, killed over 80 al-Shabaab terrorists in Shabeelow, Mudug region.
Since military operations against al-Shabaab have intensified, the terrorist group has increased its attacks.
In October of last year, two car bombs exploded at the Education Ministry, killing at least 121 people and injuring more than 300 others in the deadliest bombing in Somalia in years.
The Somali National Army has been fighting al-Shabaab terrorists since President Mohamud declared an “all-out war” on them after his re-election for a second term last May.
Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with al-Shabaab and Daesh/ISIS being the main threats.
The UN has warned of growing insecurity in the country, issuing periodic reports last year detailing attacks by al-Shabaab and pro-Daesh/ISIS terror groups.
