Islamist militants have launched a gun and bomb attack on an African Union (AU) peacekeeper base in Somalia. Al Shabab fighters detonated two car bombs outside the base in the town of Bulamarer, south-west of Mogadishu. Local residents say they heard heavy exchanges of gunfire which lasted more than three hours. It is unclear exactly … Read more
Two large explosions in Somalia’s capital city Mogadishu have killed at least 18 people and injured dozens. One attack took place at the gates of the presidential palace, while a second hit near offices of the national intelligence agency. Officials say five of the attackers were shot and killed. The Islamist militant group al-Shabab, which … Read more
Al-Shabaab extremists from neighbouring Somalia beheaded nine civilians in an attack on a village in Kenya, officials said, adding to growing concerns that the Islamist militant group has taken up a new strategy. The attack occurred on Saturday in the village of Jima, south-east Kenya, said James Ole Serian, who leads a task force of security agencies … Read more
Eight people, including four children returning to school after Eid celebrations, were killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in eastern Kenya near the border with Somalia, police said. “We have eight victims — four children and four police,” a police spokesman told AFP following the explosion between Mararani and Kiunga, just a handful of kilometres … Read more
At least 10 people were killed when Shabaab Islamists drove an explosives-laden minibus into local government offices in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, according to the security ministry. The minibus was rammed through a security barrier outside offices in the southern district of Wadajir, injuring nine people including the district’s top government official. “More … Read more
The Pentagon on Sunday said it had carried out an air strike on al Shabaab in Somalia , and Somalia said its special forces had joined in the attack to destroy one of the jihadist insurgent group’s main training and command posts. The office of President Mohamed Abdullahi said the base was located on Sakow, … Read more
An al-Shabab military commander has defected and surrendered to Somali government forces, authorities in Mogadishu said. A Somali general who interviewed the defector told VOA the al-Shabab commander had been sent to Hiran, a large and populous area of central Somalia, “in order to execute attacks during the holy month of Ramadan.” General Mohamed Ahmed … Read more
He was thin but strong, in a new uniform and boots. After forcing his way into Hawo’s ragged shelter the man put a gun to her throat, then raped her, twice. “Mentally, I can see him,” Hawo said, recalling the late-night March assault in Dusta, a camp in the southwestern city of Baidoa for Somalis … Read more
Five Kenyan policemen have been killed after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in the north-eastern town of Liboi, near the border with Somalia. The attack happened almost at the exact spot where four officers were killed in a similar attack yesterday, which has been claimed by al-Shabab militants. Five other officers were killed in … Read more
International leaders are gathering in London on Thursday to thrash out agreements with Somalia aimed at stabilising the country under its new political leadership. The one-day conference is looking to strike a new compact that will accelerate progress on security, development and the troubled east African country’s economy by 2020. Britain’s Foreign Office said it … Read more
At least six people were killed and about 10 injured Monday in a car bomb attack in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu claimed by militant Islamist group Shabaab, police told AFP. The car exploded next to an Italian cafe on a key thoroughfare in the centre of the city which leads to the presidential palace, in the … Read more
Al-Shabab insurgents in Somalia have beheaded two government soldiers they captured on Saturday near the town of Mahaday, 35 kilometers north of Jowhar, and the provincial capital of Middle Shabelle region, officials and witnesses told VOA. The head of the Somali National Army 30th contingent, which operates in the region, Lt. Col. Omar Ali Adow, … Read more
A US soldier has been killed in Somalia during operations against al-Shabab militants, the American military says. Two other US servicemen were injured in Thursday’s incident, about 40 miles (64km) west of the capital Mogadishu, near the town of Barii. American forces were on an “advise and assist” mission with the Somali National Army, the … Read more
A military vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Sunday, killing at least six soldiers and wounding another eight. The al-Qaeda linked group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened on the outskirts of the region’s port city of Bosasso. Al-Shabab is fighting to topple the Horn of Africa country’s … Read more
Kenya’s Ministry of Defense said its troops, operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia, have destroyed an al-Shabab camp, killing 52 militants and seizing weapons. In a statement, the ministry said troops raided the camp, located near the town of Badhadhe in the Lower Jubba region, at around 1:00 a.m. Friday. “The intelligence-led operation … Read more
At least five soldiers have been killed and more than 15 wounded after a suicide bomber wearing a military uniform blew himself up inside a military base in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, witnesses have told the BBC Somali service. The Al-Shabab militant group, which is linked to al-Qaeda, said it was behind the blast. In a … Read more
A suicide bomber detonated his vest inside a military training camp in Mogadishu on Monday, a day after an attack on the army chief’s convoy, a military official said. “A suicide bomber disguised as a member of the military managed to enter inside the training camp… several soldiers were killed and others wounded but we … Read more
Somalia’s new army chief escaped a car bombing Sunday that killed at least five people in a bloody response by Shabaab militants to the president’s declaration of war on the group. A suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into Mohamed Jama Irfid’s convoy near the defence ministry in Mogadishu, just days after he … Read more
The court said the accused were members of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militant group Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Saturday executed five people it said were Islamist militants responsible for killing three senior government officials last year, a military court official said. Abdifatah Haji Aden, chairman of Puntland’s military court, said the five were … Read more
At least 15 people were killed when a car bomb exploded outside a military base in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Sunday, including some in a van that was destroyed, military officials said. The death toll could rise as a minibus carrying passengers was destroyed in the blast. “At least 15 people mostly civilians … Read more