Suicide attack leaves Somali government spokesman wounded in Mogadishu
Mogadishu, Jan 16 (EFE).- Somalia’s government spokesman Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu was wounded in a suicide bombing in Mogadishu, local authorities confirmed Sunday.
The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for Sunday’s blast that took place near Moalimuu’s residence along Maka Al-Mukarama, one of the capital’s busiest roads housing government offices, hotels and restaurants.
The attack is believed to have targeted the vehicle, in which the prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble’s aide and former BBC journalist was traveling.
Moalimuu has suffered minor wounds and is currently receiving medical care at a Mogadishu hospital, according to state media.
Roble wrote on Twitter that he “condemns the odious terrorist attack targeting Government Spokesman, Mr Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimu who sustained injuries today but is in stable condition.”
The explosion occurred after a months-long dispute between Roble and Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo reached its peak on December 27, when the latter suspended the premier over corruption allegations.
The Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab frequently launches such attacks in Mogadishu.
On Wednesday, at least 11 people were killed and 15 others injured in a suicide car bomb attack that the extremist group has claimed responsibility for.
The fundamentalists, who want to establish an ultra-conservative jihadist state, control rural areas in central and southern Somalia.
Al-Shabab’s deadliest attack caused the deaths of over 500 people in Mogadishu in October 2017.
Somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991 after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown, leaving the country in the hands of Islamist militias and warlords.EFE
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