Somalia: 9 Dead, Dozens Injured in Attack Claimed by al-Shabaab

A car loaded with explosives detonated near the entrance of the Somali ministry.

Published 8 July 2018

Opinion

Migrants, part of a caravan of thousands trying to reach the U.S., stand in line for a free meal after arriving in Tijuana, Mexico, Nov. 13, 2018.

The attacks have been claimed by al-Shabaab, an armed group which aims to overthrow Somalia's central government and to establish its own rule.

Somali Police Captain Mohamed Hussein confirmed an attack on the country's interior ministry, which reportedly claimed the lives of 9 people and injured dozens.

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The suicide bomb attack took place early Saturday in the capital Mogadishu when a car loaded with explosives detonated near the entrance of the ministry, near the presidential palace and parliament headquarters.

Police reported that a gunfire exchange resulted in the deaths of at least three of the attackers.

According to AP, a second explosion went off at a police station near the site of the first blast. The attacks have been claimed by al-Shabaab, an armed group which aims to overthrow Somalia's central government and to establish its own rule.

However, since 2010, the presence of the al-Qaida linked group has been significantly reduced or removed entirely from several major regions of Somalia.

Al-Shabaab was blamed for an October truck bombing that killed more than 500 people.

The United States has launched several military operations in the African nation as well as maintain a military presence. Somalia's security has, for many years, been overseen by a multinational African Union force.