Somalian women walk past the site of a deadly blast in Mogadishu on April 14, 2013. The attacks were carried out at the Supreme Court by armed combatants., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Suicide raid, car bomb kill 34 civilians in Mogadishu
AFP | Apr 15, 2013, 03.29 AM IST
MOGADISHU: A nine-man suicide commando blasted its way into Mogadishu's main court complex Sunday, some blowing up their explosives vests while others sprayed gunfire in a rampage that left 29 civilians dead, while a separate bomb attack killed five more.
The al-Qaida-linked Shebab militant group claimed responsibility for the courthouse attack, from which Somalia's chief justice escaped unharmed.
It was the worst day of violence the capital has seen in months.
"The African Union force, the Somalia national army and local police have cleared the building. The latest figures indicate that there are 29 killed civilians, nine dead Shebab militants and 58 people injured," a security officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Interior Minister Abdikarin Hussein Guled said all the attackers were killed in the courthouse raid. "Six detonated themselves, and three were shot dead by security forces," he told reporters, adding that the government had regained control of the situation.
The UN special representative to Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, said he was "shocked and outraged" by the deadly attacks.
"I join the government and the people of Somalia in condemning these senseless acts of terror," Mahiga said.
He added that Somalia's progress towards stabilisation "will not be overshadowed by the desperate acts of these cowardly terrorists."
Shebab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamed Rage claimed only five suicide attackers died in the fighting at the court complex, and vowed there would be fresh attacks.
"This was a holy action which targeted non-believers who were in a meeting within the court complex. We will continue until Somalia is liberated from invaders," he told AFP.
As the drama inside the court complex was unfolding, five people were killed when a remote-detonated car bomb near the airport struck a convoy carrying Turkish aid.
"Five people, two of them women who were passing by the area were killed in the car bomb attack," Hassan Moalim, who witnessed the attack, told AFP.
An official from the Turkish Red Crescent told Turkish news television channel NTV that its Somali driver was killed and some of its workers were lightly hurt.
A separate car bomb exploded outside the court complex during the assault there, spreading panic.
After Somali forces eventually ended the courthouse raid chaos still engulfed the area, and an AFP reporter saw medics evacuating wounded through the courthouse's shattered windows.
The Islamist Shebab militants used to control most of the seaside capital until it abandoned fixed positions in August 2011. But it has since carried out a string of attacks against the UN-backed government.
A regional military offensive has forced many Shebab fighters to retreat to the mountains in northern Somalia but the insurgents have reverted to guerrilla tactics and carried out several bomb attacks in Mogadishu.
The courthouse is in the heavily-guarded administrative quarter of the capital and several senior officials were caught in the chaos.
"The chief justice and other senior judiciary officials are all safe and sound, they were rescued unharmed. But unfortunately a number of civilians and security personnel were killed in the attack," police commander Mohamed Yusuf said.
Among the dead from the courthouse attack were two prominent lawyers, Mohamed Mohamud Afrah and Abdikarin Hassan, who recently defended a journalist who stood trial after interviewing a rape victim.
"This attack is nothing but a sign of desperation by the terrorists, who've lost all their strongholds and are in complete decline right across Somalia," Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in a statement.
Britain condemned the attacks and said Shebab's acts served to "prolong the suffering of the Somali people" and called on them to face justice.
Somalia: Bombs and Gun Battle Kill at Least 16 in Somali Capital
ON APRIL 14, 2013
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – At least 16 people were killed as two car bombs exploded outside the law courts in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu and gunmen stormed the building on Sunday, before a gun battle erupted with security forces besieging the compound, witnesses said.
A large blast hit an area near Mogadishu airport hours later, residents said.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attacks, but al Shabaab militants linked to al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for a number of suicide bombings in Mogadishu this year.
“About seven well-armed men in government uniform entered the court today as soon as a car bomb exploded at the gate. We thought they were government soldiers,” said Aden Sabdow, who works at the mayor’s office adjacent to the court.
“There are many government officials inside the court which has been busy these days,” he said.
“Armed men entered the court and then we heard a blast. Then they started opening fire. We do not know the number of casualties,” said Hussein Ali, who works at the courts.
Somali forces arrived and besieged the court compound and there was a second blast while shots continued to ring out.
Reuters reporters counted 16 bodies, some of them in uniform, some not, around the compound, but it was not clear how many of them were government soldiers, attackers, or civilians.
Later, a car bomb exploded at a building housing Somali intelligence along the road to the airport as Turkish and African Union (AU) vehicles were passing, police and witnesses said. Government forces then opened fire and blocked the road.
“The car bomb exploded near the gate of a building housing the Somali security. AU and Turkish cars were also passing there. We are still investigating the target and casualties,” Qadar Ali, a police officer told Reuters.
Britain warned on April 5 it believed “terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks in Mogadishu”.
In control of much of the capital Mogadishu between 2009 and 2011, al Shabaab has been forced out of most major cities in central and southern Somalia by African Union peacekeepers.
But the hard-line Islamist group has hit back with a series of bomb attacks. In early April, a bomb went off outside the headquarters of Somalia’s biggest bank, Dahabshiil’s, wounding at least two people hours after al Shabaab ordered the company to cease operations in areas under its control.
Last month, al Shabaab claimed responsibility for suicide car bomb targeting a senior Somali security official which killed at least 10 people in central Mogadishu. The security official survived the attack, the city’s deadliest this year.
Source: Reuters
A vehicle carrying Turkish officials attacked in Mogadishu
MAALIK_ENG APRIL 14, 2013
Mogadishu (sh.M.Network.com). News just in report that a vehicle carrying Turkish officials has been targeted by another vehicle loaded with explosive devices in Mogadishu.
Our reporter at the scene has confirmed that two Turkish officials died on the spot and another one person believed to be the person who committed the suicide is also confirmed dead.
Government troops have secured the scene and have dismissed people who formed a gathering at the scene.
Our reporter Mohamed Bashir who is at the scene described the place as chaotic and confusion can be felt at the scene. The road leading to the main airport has been closed and activities frozen for security purposes.
The Turkish embassy in Mogadishu has not released any state about the incident as yet.
IMF recognises Somalia government after 22-year break
MAALIK_SOM APRIL 13, 2013
Mogadishu (Sh.M.Network) President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government is winning approval from international donors.
The International Monetary Fund has recognised the government of Somalia after a break in relations of 22 years.
The move could enable the IMF to provide technical support and policy advice to the impoverished country in the Horn of Africa.
However, the IMF will not lend money to Somalia until it clears a $352m (£230m) debt it owes to the organisation.
Somalia has been slowly rebuilding itself following two decades of civil conflict.
”The International Monetary Fund today recognised the federal government of Somalia, headed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, paving the way for the resumption of relations after a 22-year interval,” the IMF said in a statement.
“The decision is consistent with broad international support and recognition of the Federal Government.”
Although Somalia has been an IMF member since August 1962, the years of civil war meant there was no government with which the fund could deal.
International donors have slowly been re-engaging with the Mogadishu government since President Mohamud’s election last year.
It was the first vote of its kind in the country since warlords toppled military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
The US officially recognised Somalia in January, acknowledging the new government’s progress towards political stability and attempts to end the insurgency by Islamist militants al-Shabab.
Although Washington never formally cut diplomatic ties with Somalia, the 1993 Black Hawk Down incident – in which 18 US servicemen died after militia fighters shot down two US military helicopters – marked the country’s descent into anarchy.
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