Keydmedia Online Topic page

The sources add that the attackers were former Al-Shabaab defectors, including two who surrendered to the government in 2016, one year prior to Farmajo’s election, and the two others who gave up last year.

The move comes as the militants have been launching bold attacks targeting government and electoral delegates taking part in the ongoing national elections.

According to AMISOM, IEDs are the preferred weapon of choice for the al-Shabab, who often plant them on main supply routes, targeting AMISOM and government troops, but civilians often get hit.

Hours after the airport attack, two suicide bombings hit Beledweyne, the second constituency of HirShabelle state in central Somalia, which left at least 48 people, including MP Amina Mohamed dead.

According to local press reports, Wednesday’s attack perpetrated by the Islamist group Al-Shabab on a military base in the Somali capital left at least eight people dead, five of them is foreigners.

Al-Shabaab has claimed the responsibility for the attack which came hours after gunmen raided Mogadishu airport, a heavily fortified facility in the capital.

The EU ambassador to Somalia Tiina Intelmann described MP Amina's murder as a politically motivated killing that came during the electioneering period in the country. 

Two explosions have rocked the central city on Wednesday evening with police reporting that the death toll from the terrorist attack jumped to at least 20 people.

Hassan said one of the foreigners was a soldier with the African Union peacekeeping mission AMISOM. He said four others were trainers helping the Somali government with explosives training.

Al-Shabaab said it was behind the attack, which underscores the capital's precarious security situation as AU troops prepare for a pullback from the frontlines after a 15-year war against the terrorist group.

Concerted efforts by the Somali government and the international community averted a famine in 2017 and similar efforts will be needed this year to stem the tide.

The country has picked 246 parliament members out of the 275 Lower House seats since Nov 2021. There are 29 seats still remain unfilled in HirShabelle and Jubaland.