By Jama:
Waberi, Mogadishu, Somalia –
At approximately 5:30 am this morning, a series of mortar shells struck in close proximity to Villa Somalia, the presidential palace in Mogadishu, resulting in at least four civilian casualties.
According to credible sources interviewed by the Somali Digest, the mortars landed shortly after the morning prayers in the Waberi and Hamarjajab districts of the Somali capital.
A father, allegedly a well-known Quranic school teacher, and his three children lost their lives when a mortar struck their residence in the Waberi district near Saydka Junction. The mother sustained injuries during the attack.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, although their claims of targeting the presidential palace and causing the death of a soldier were found to be false.
Mogadishu far from safe
The incident is yet another indication of the deteriorating security situation in the capital. The ability of al-Shabaab to target Villa Somalia and its surroundings with mortars highlights the group’s capability to strike any location within the city. Such developments pose significant challenges to the government’s assertions of weakening al-Shabaab.
On Sunday, the Somali Military Police vehicle was targeted in an attack also claimed by al-Shabaab militants, who employed an improvised explosive device (IED) on the road in Mogadishu’s Yaqshid District, leading to Darul Salaam, allegedly killing four officers and injuring several others.
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. Consequently, it continues to carry out attacks against both security forces and civilian targets, including within the capital city.
