Somalia's troops end deadly Al-Shabaab siege in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Elite squad ended Al-Shabaab siege in Banadir's Abdiaziz residential district, government officials said, following several hours of him battle that left a number of people dead and dozens injured, in the latest attack within Somali cathe capital, Mogadishu.

Reports indicate at least 10 people were killed in the confrontation between the Al-Qaeda-linked group and security forces, the government said, with reports further alleging that the militants were targeting residential compounds in their cowardly attacks having suffered losses in ongoing operations across the country.

Some of the targeted homes reports further indicated, were rental houses for wounded pro-government militia attached to the Ma'awisley clan militia, who have been instrumental in the crackdown against Al-Shabaab. The clan militia has been working closely with the Somali National Army [SNA] and foreign soldiers.

Also targeted was the residential property of Ali Shaban Ibrahim, the Deputy Speaker of Somalia's Upper House who was fresh from a conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Security officers however, managed to safely evacuate Shaban according to multiple sources.

The residential home belonging to SNA Commander General Garabey, who played an outsized role in the recent offensives in the Hiiraan region, was also targeted by Al Shabaab militants during the raid. The government believes the militants did due diligence before unleashing in the latest attack.

The four Al-Shabaab militants who participated in the raid were killed on spot, the Ministry of Information confirmed in a statement. The militants first activated the raid by detonating a suicide bomb and subsequently, engaged in a series of gunfight attempts, attempt according to reports.

According to the government, the shifting of strategy to residential homes is desperate attempts tattemptthe reality that Al-Shabaab has lost in the battlefield tussle which is closely supervised by the US Africa Command and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] soldiers.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had declared a total war on Al-Shabaab militants and has periodically been asking for support from the international partners. The president has also shifted focus to sealing revenue collection loopholes for Al-Shabaab besides asking religious scholars to help reduce violent extremism.

GAROWE ONLINE