Al Shabaab attacked President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy in Mogadishu; he was unharmed. Witnesses confirmed casualties, and the attack was the first targeting Mohamud since 2014. State media showed the President shortly after the incident, highlighting his commitment to addressing militant threats.
On Tuesday, Al Shabaab militants launched a bomb attack targeting Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as his motorcade traveled through Mogadishu. Fortunately, two high-ranking government and military officials confirmed that the President remained unharmed following the incident. Presidential adviser Zakariye Hussein later affirmed via a post on X that the President was “good and well on his way to the front lines.”
Witnesses, including soldiers and local residents, corroborated that the President’s convoy had indeed been struck. A journalist from Reuters reported seeing the bodies of four individuals killed in the vicinity of the presidential palace. The militant group issued a statement claiming responsibility, stating, “Our fighters targeted a convoy of vehicles carrying Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as they were leaving the presidential palace and heading to the airport.”
Although Al Shabaab routinely conducts assaults in Somalia as part of its ongoing efforts to destabilize the government, this attack marked the first direct assault on President Mohamud since 2014. That year, during his first term, militants bombed a hotel where he was delivering a speech. Following the recent attack, state media broadcast images of President Mohamud in the Adan Yabal district, where government forces are actively engaged in combat against an al Shabaab offensive that has persisted for the past three weeks.
The recent bomb attack on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy underscores the persistent threat posed by Al Shabaab to Somalia’s stability. Despite the attack, the President emerged unscathed, reinforcing his active role in combating the ongoing violence from the militant group. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the challenges the Somali government faces in maintaining security and order.
Original Source: www.usnews.com
