Somalia: Al-Shabaab's dawn attack leaves three people dead

The attack has been claimed by the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab group Photograph: Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A dawn attack left at least three people dead in Mogadishu on Tuesday, eyewitnesses said, in the latest waves of attacks by Al-Shabaab, in retaliation spree following activation of operations against the group across the Horn of Africa nation.

Three people including a father and two children were killed in the deadly attack, witnesses said, with the attack leaving several other people critically injured. Those injured have since been rushed to various hospitals in Mogadishu where they are undergoing treatment.

The attack, sources said, targeted Waberi and Warta Nabadda Districts, with the attackers using a mortar to unleash. It was not immediately clear who were the targets but the militants are fond of targeting government buildings, airport and Halane, the AU base.

Although the group is yet to take responsibility, it has carried similar attacks in the past particularly around Mogadishu where they are determined to disrupt operations. The Al-Shabaab group is fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia for the last 15 years.

In recent weeks, the group has suffered massive losses in central and southern Somalia following activation of the first phase of operations against them, and the government has now diverted attention towards initiating the second round of operations against the militants in the country.

The second phase, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had hinted, will mainly focus on Jubaland and Southwest states in Somalia. Already, government soldiers, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] troops, US Africa Command and local militia have been prepared for this phase.

Contingents from the Ethiopia and Kenya have termed the impending operation as "final assault" against the Al-Shabaab, forcing a number of foreign fighters to flee from the country. Kenya on her part has established several Forward Operating Bases along the border to block movement of Al-Shabaab.

The group has insisted in recent weeks that the operations have not gained their objectives, arguing that the government of Somalia has "lost" the plot, a claim which has been often disputed by the administration of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. ATMIS soldiers have also kick-started drawdown.

GAROWE ONLINE