Somalia: Drone Downed Over Presidential Palace, Raising Security Threats

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Elite troops guarding Villa Somalia, the official residence and office of the president, shot down one of the two drones sighted over the building, in what could raise serious security concerns in one of the most protected areas in the country.

According to officials, the two drones were hovering around the vicinity of the building but the presidential guards managed to bring one down. It is not clear who were the owners of the gadgets and the immediate mission around the palace.

The airspace within the residence is not public leading to the immediate response by the security forces, who are tasked to guard the president of Somalia. No single group has taken responsibility for the incident which happened on Friday evening.

This comes at the time reports indicate that militant groups - ISIS and Al-Shabaab have begun using drones to carry out bomb attacks. While ISIS militants are predominantly stationed in Public states, Al-Shabaab is mostly in central and southern regions.

Both groups are working separately to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia but sustained operations against them have made the mission nearly impossible. ISIS militants have lost strategic towns within the Bari region after Puntland activated operations.

Al-Shabaab on the other end has struggled to make further penetration after the Somali National Army combined efforts with the local militia, the US Africa Command, and the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

Over time, neither of the groups has managed to effectively use aerial surveillance to conduct airstrikes against the military but with the advancements in technology, their abilities cannot be ruled out completely.

Mogadishu is one of the most protected towns in the country given that it's home to various members of the international community and their embassies. The al-Shabaab militants were flushed out of the city in 2007 and have struggled to regain ground.

GAROWE ONLINE