Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid have strongly condemned the al-Shabaab attack…
Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid have strongly condemned the al-Shabaab attack on a beachfront restaurant in Mogadishu that left dozens of people dead and wounded.
President Mohamoud said in a press release that the attack will not kill the hopes of Somalis towards peace and development as the nation continues to recover from over two decades of civil war.
‘’They targeted people who had just finished praying and were taking rest after a long week. Such attacks are not justified in our religion.
‘’A small group can never kill our hope. Somalis are determined and moving forward towards peace and development.’’
Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali called for the nation to unite war against the al-Qaeda-linked extremists who have continued to target public gatherings in the capital.
Both leaders extended their condolences to the families of the victims, and wished full recovery for the injured.
Al Shabaab militants stormed two busy restaurants in the popular Liido beach on Thursday evening, killing at least 20 people who were mostly civilians.
Somali security forces managed to regain the control of the hotel on Friday morning, killing 7 militants who launched the attack and capturing one of them who the officials described as the mastermind of the raid.
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.
According to security experts and analysts, the continuous attacks in Mogadishu didn’t reflect a stronger Al Shabaab but did expose deficiencies in the security apparatus.
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