Suicide car bombing kills at least 4 in central Somalia

BELEDWEYNE, Somalia - Al-Shabaab militants killed at least four people in Beledweyne town within the Hiiran region, in a Sunday afternoon suicide car bomb explosion that comes as the country celebrates its independence day, which is so special in the Horn of Africa nation.

According to reports, the bombing targeted a military base in the central regions of the country where the Somali National Army (SNA) has been fighting the al-Shabaab militants. The al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Somali National Army is taking over security responsibility from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) soldiers who have started leaving in compliance with the Somali Transition Plan (STP). Last month, close to 4,000 ATMIS soldiers left.

In total, at least 9,000 of the 22,000 soldiers have left the country ahead of the December 2024 deadline but the government of Somalia has hinted at a local mission that could take over. A few foreign soldiers will be part of the mission.

Hussein Sheikh Ali, the National Security Advisor to the presidency, said the new mission will not have Ethiopian troops, some of whom are accused of having crossed over to Somalia albeit illegally. Ethiopia is accused of infringing Somalia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

But some talks could kick off in Turkey between Ethiopia and Somalia after the former signed an MoU with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. The talks are yet to formally kick off according to multiple sources in the country..

The al-Shabaab militants are fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia, but the strong force in the country has managed to put the militants at bay. The militants control large swathes of rural central and southern regions.

However, the operations carried out in the last two years have significantly neutralized the militants, who lost several strategic towns. The al-Shabaab militants have hinted at talks with the government but the administration of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is yet to take any consideration about the same. 

GAROWE ONLINE