A deadly IED attack by al-Shabaab targeted soldiers in Mogadishu on Thursday afternoon. The improvised explosive device (IED) blast has shaken the capital’s Darul Salaam neighbourhood, reportedly killing five soldiers and injuring others.
Darul Salaam, Mogadishu, SOMALIA. By Dalmar:
The victims were aboard the vehicle when the IED went off. Several soldiers and civilians passing by the incident were injured by the powerful blast. Al-Shabaab, the extremist group known for its acts of terrorism, has swiftly claimed responsibility for the attack.
Their media channels released a statement asserting their intent to target government soldiers, boasting about the destruction caused. “The officers of the Mujahideen forces confirmed that five apostate soldiers were killed in the explosion, including a high-ranking officer named Abdihamid. Six other soldiers were injured, while the car involved in the explosion was also destroyed,” al-Shabaab’s media outlets reported.
A surge in attacks in Somalia’s capital
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.
Last week, heavily-armed al-Shabaab fighters stormed a military police checkpoint in Mogadishu’s Yaqshid district, killing several officers and kidnapping one. The hostage later appeared on al-Shabaab’s propagandistic video. The Somali Digest interviewed residents who stated that al-Shabaab killed at least two officers in the attack. The militant group issued a statement, claiming to have overrun the checkpoint.
Last month, a deadly attack by al-Shabaab targeted the National Intelligence and Security Agency’s officers at the Bakara checkpoint. The militants reportedly threw a hand grenade at the officers, injuring several. The group claimed responsibility, asserting they killed two officers and wounded five others. However, the group is known for often exaggerating its battlefield claims.
