Tuesday June 6, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - An explosion struck a residential area in the Shirkole neighbourhood of Mogadishu's Hodan district last night, causing a major security concern. This incident starkly contrasts the recently enhanced security efforts by US and Turkish-trained special forces in the capital.
The detonation was traced back to the home of Abdifitah Qoslaye, the former Hodan district police commander. An improvised explosive device (IED) appears to have been used in what is suspected to be an assassination attempt by al Shabaab, a local extremist group. The blast claimed the lives of four bodyguards while causing injuries to several others, including the former commander himself.
In the wake of the explosion, security forces apprehended a suspect near the crime scene. The suspect is a recently dismissed officer from Qoslaye's former command.
This violent incident comes on the heels of a successful security operation by the US-trained Danab and Turkish-trained Gorgor special forces. They secured areas near Gal'ad in the El Dheere district, Galgudud region of north-central Somalia on June 6. This operation was in response to an al Shabaab attack on Masagaway on May 30.
Al Shabaab continues to destabilize the region with its ruthless attacks. Most recently, the group ambushed a civilian bus on the Banisa-Mandera Road in northeastern Kenya, leading to two fatalities and critically injuring three others. They also destroyed a telecom tower in Wajir County, northeastern Kenya, killing a police officer in the process.
Investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of al Shabaab's involvement in the attack on Qoslaye and their ongoing activities across the region.