Somalian Forces Kill 3 Militants Involved In Shelling Presidential Compound - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd February, 2021) Somalian security forces have killed three Al-Shabaab militants involved in a mortar shelling targeting President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and regional officials in the town of Dhusamareb, local media reported on Tuesday, citing security officials.

Earlier in the day, reports emerged that militants had launched a barrage of mortar attacks targeting a residence in Dhusamareb, where Farmajo and Galmudug regional officials had been locked in talks to resolve an electoral dispute. Regional officials told the Somali Guardian news portal that almost 10 mortar shells hit the town's presidential residence, police station, and airport, adding that none of the projectiles exploded in the compound where the president was based. Al-Shabaab militant group, which has links to Al-Qaeda (terrorist organization, banned in Russia), claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to Goobjoog News, the militants were killed during an operation carried out by the Somali armed forces. A leader of the group, who controlled the situation in a district between the city of Elbur and Dhusamareb, was also killed. In addition, the military seized weapons and arrested one of the militants, who was wounded during the operation.

Somalia has been engulfed in violence since the eruption of a civil war between clan-based armed groups in the early 1990s. The situation has been further complicated by Al-Shabaab militants, who are staging numerous attacks across the country in an attempt to impose a radical version of Sharia law in the country.