Somalia: 13 killed in twin blasts near Mogadishu airport
Mogadishu, July 26: At least 13 people were killed on Tuesday (July 26) in twin bombings near UN and African Union buildings adjoining Mogadishu's airport, police said, in what the jihadist Shabaab group claimed as a suicide attack.
The Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab group is blamed for a string of bloody assaults in Somalia and neighbouring Kenya, and is fighting to overthrow Mogadishu's internationally-backed government.
"At least 13 people were confirmed to have died in two explosions, one of the vehicles went off near a security checkpoint and another close to a UN compound," said Bishaar Abdi Gedi, a police official.
"The security forces have managed to intercept the attackers and foiled the attacks," Gedi said. A Shabaab statement said it was a suicide attack by its militants.
"The two explosions were carried out by two brave Mujahedeen suicide bombers and they have targeted two different locations where the so-called AMISOM peacekeepers are stationed," it said, referring to the African Union mission to Somalia. An AFP journalist at the scene heard gunfire after the explosions tore through the area.
The
city's
airport
is
heavily
fortified
and
adjoins
the
capital's
main
base
for
AMISOM,
the
22,000-strong
force
backing
the
government
in
the
battle
against
Shabaab
insurgents.
AMISOM
troops
were
deployed
to
Somalia
in
2007
to
defend
the
government
against
attacks
by
the
Shabaab.
"Around
9am
there
was
an
explosion
outside
one
of
our
gates,
about
200
metres
away,"
mission
spokesman
Joe
Kibet
told
AFP.
"It looks like an attack, they intended to attack. Now the situation is calm and our personnel is working on it," he added. The Shabaab were forced out of the capital five years ago but continue to carry out regular attacks on military, government and civilian targets.
In recent months they have claimed attacks on bases of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as well as civilian targets including hotels. This year is considered critical for the group, which is eager to disrupt an expected change of government leadership due in the coming months.
(AFP) KJ