Somalia: A Wave of assassinations hits Mogadishu

Somali extremist group al-Shabaab has been stepping up a campaign of assassinations against officials and anyone else associated with the government in Mogadishu in the last 24-hours, Horseed Media reports.
In the latest killing, gunmen shot dead a Somali police officer in Hodan neighbourhood on Sunday and managed to escape the scene before security forces arrived.
A local municipal council officer was gunned down and an Ex-MP on Saturday as internal security ministry warned of fresh violence from the al-Qaeda-linked militant group.
The wave of assassinations was claimed by the pro-al Shabaab online media.
However, the latest casualty in a string of assassinations undermines government’s claims that the situation is improving.
Government assassinations are nothing new as al-Shabaab tactic, but now the extremists are taking aim at officials who are much more low-level, who often do not have the sort of bodyguards or other protection that top leaders do. Some of the victims have only the slimmest connections to the authorities.
Though al-Shabaab was pushed out of key towns in South and Central Somalia, the group has been able to hit high-profile targets in Mogadishu’s heavily fortified areas, including the national courts, the UN compound, the Turkish embassy, and popular gathering places.
While some analysts wonder if the shock factor of the attacks – al-Shabaab attacks on hotels, restaurants and university– is aimed at forcing the government into negotiations by sending a message that it can continue to up the terror quotient.
Since the beginning of this year, al-Shabaab has changed its violent campaign to attacking soft targets, causing mass casualties.
Horseed Media