The militant group al-Shabaab shelled Mogadishu airport over the weekend. Projectiles and mortars rained on Saturday at Aden Adde International Airport around 7:20 am. Multiple mortar shells also struck next to the airport. At least two people sustained injuries.
Mogadishu, SOMALIA. By Dalmar:
The resounding thud of the explosions echoed throughout the nearby districts of Mogadishu. Reliable sources confirmed to the Somali Digest that the airport vicinity bore the impact of at least two mortars, while a third landed at the airport’s premises. The assault affected airport operations, causing destruction within the compound and the cancellation of numerous international flights. At least two people sustained injuries.
The Islamist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. “The al-Shabaab Mujahideen Explosives Brigade operating in Banadir [region] today [on Saturday] carried out an artillery operation in the Halane camp, the main headquarters of the crusaders in Mogadishu. Several artillery shells hit them,” said al-Shabaab-affiliated media. The extremists often use the term “crusaders” when referring to foreigners in Somalia.
The Halane Compound
Situated along the Indian Ocean, the Halane Compound accommodates foreign dignitaries, diplomats, and hundreds of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) staff, contractors, and representatives of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). ATMIS is also responsible for the base’s protection. Aden Adde International Airport is located within the fortified compound.
The residents live markedly distinct life from the rest of Mogadishu. Halane offers security and luxury, with hotels, restaurants, swimming pools and entertainment hubs. What some call the “real” Mogadishu, on the other hand, represents a stark contrast of distress and hardship. Al-Shabaab attacks this other part of the city almost daily.
A surge in al-Shabaab’s attacks in Mogadishu
The Saturday shelling is a stark reminder that al-Shabaab remains disturbingly unhindered in its endeavours within Somalia’s capital. As government forces focus on liberating Galmudug State, al-Shabaab encounters minimal resistance within Mogadishu’s confines.
Although al-Shabaab has been driven out of major urban centres in Somalia, the group still wields influence and maintains control over vast rural areas. It continues to carry out attacks, ambushes, and assassinations against security forces and civilians, including within the capital city.
On 11 August, a suspected al-Shabaab hitman assassinated a prominent businessman in Mogadishu’s Hodan district. The deceased was Isaaq Aden Ali (also known as Isaaq Garoow). Security forces captured the gunman shortly after the homicide. The victim was reportedly the brother of the former governor of the Lower Shabelle region, Ibrahim Aden Ali Najah. The reason behind the murder remains unknown.
