Somalia: DC survives bombing of his convoy; 1 dead

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A senior government official survived a morning explosion in the outskirts of the Somali capital Mogadishu, reports indicate, in the latest wave of attacks targeting senior officials and top security officers in the Horn of Africa nation, which has been an epicenter of insecurity for decades.

Muse Gesey, who is the Yadshid District Commissioner had his vehicle targeted by a landmine which is believed to have been planted by Al-Shabaab militants, who have been intensifying attacks at the capital, which has been experiencing relative stability for almost a decade.

The bomb blast took place in the vicinity of Engineer Yarisow stadium in Mogadishu, officials said but did not manage to hit the target. This is the third attack in a fortnight within Mogadishu which at one point served as the headquarters of the terrorists.

Sources said that a Tuk-Tuk driver was killed instantly and two others critically injured after the explosion of the remote-controlled landmine. Those injured in the incident have since been rushed to a Mogadishu hospital where they're undergoing treatment, officials added.

The senior officer and his team were planning to attend a football match later on today, a plan which was basically disjointed by the explosion. No group is yet to claim responsibility but the Al-Qaeda linked group, Al-Shabaab, is synonymous with such attacks targeting security forces.

Just within this month, the group managed to attack Elite Hotel in Mogadishu leaving over 10 people dead. Also, the militants targeted the April 12 military base within the capital where over eight soldiers are said to have died on spot.

Further, Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility in Mogadishu Central Prison where they sneaked weapons for convicts, who opened fire randomly this month. The government said that over 15 inmates were killed during the incident with four guards as well.

This comes amid caution from the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who also condemned Al-Shabaab during his date with the United Nations Security Council on Thursday. The UN boss also asked the international community to help Somalia effectively fight terrorism.

"I condemn attacks by Al-Shabaab on Somali civilians, security forces, AMISOM, the United Nations and the international community," said Guterres, who also acknowledged that the group has been wreaking havoc across the Horn of Africa nation.

The UN boss called upon international partners to continue to extend support to the Somali security sector through training and capacity-building, as well as contributions to the trust fund in support of the Somali security forces, including through funding earmarked for the training, equipping, and mentoring of Somali security forces to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices.

GAROWE ONLINE