Al-Shabaab attack kills two in central Somalia

Al-Shabaab attack kills two in central Somalia

Despite being ousted from Somalia's major cities, including the capital Mogadishu, Al-Shabaab controls swathes of the countryside
Despite being ousted from Somalia's major cities, including the capital Mogadishu, Al-Shabaab controls swathes of the countryside. Photo: STAFF / AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

A suicide attack by the Islamist rebel group Al-Shabaab killed two people including a soldier in central Somalia on Wednesday, a local military official told AFP.

A vehicle laden with weapons ploughed into a military checkpoint in the Hiran region in a "kamikaze" attack, said army official Abdirahman Osobow.

Osobow said two people including a soldier died in an "enormous" explosion and blamed Al-Shabaab, a group linked with Al-Qaeda that has waged an insurgency against the Somali state for 15 years.

The attack "could have done more damage, but the security forces managed to contain it before it reached its main target", he added.

Despite being ousted from Somalia's major cities, including the capital Mogadishu in 2011, Al-Shabaab controls swathes of the countryside and civilians are often caught in the crossfire.

Read also

15 killed in Sudan's Blue Nile ethnic clashes: medics

Among the group's string of recent attacks was a siege of a Mogadishu hotel in September that lasted 30 hours and led to the deaths of 21 people, with another 17 wounded.

PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app!

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has faced a sharp increase in Al-Shabaab activity since his election in May and has promised to wage an "all-our war" against them.

The Somali government earlier this month announced that Abdullahi Yare, a key Al-Shabaab leader with a $3-million bounty on his head, had been killed in an air strike led by the army and international security partners.

After Mohamud's election, President Joe Biden said he would restore a US military presence in Somalia to fight Al-Shabaab.

The Pentagon had recommended the move, considering the rotation system of Biden's predecessor Donald Trump as too risky and ineffective.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.