Deadly Car Bombing at Somalia's Presidential Palace Is Claimed by Shabab

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

8:44 AM

MOGADISHU, Somalia- A car loaded with explosives was detonated Monday at the gate of the presidential palace in Mogadishu, killing at least four people and wounding a dozen others, witnesses and officials said.

The Shabab, a militant Islamist group affiliated with Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted senior Somali and foreign officials.

Heavy smoke billowing from the explosion near the heart of the Somali government was visible across Mogadishu during evening prayers, as the sound of sirens and gunfire from troops trying to disperse crowds filled the air.

At least four people were hurt at the nearby SYL Hotel, according to witnesses. " My room's window fell to the ground in pieces," said one woman, Halima Ali. She said she had raced out of the room and had seen "huge smoke rising to the sky."

Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir condemned the bombing, calling it a terrorist attack aimed at shattering the peace in Mogadishu. "The explosion happened at a security checkpoint at the presidential palace, across from the SYL Hotel, and damaged nearby houses and business centers," he said. He declined to comment on the number of casualties.

Two days of meetings had drawn Somali federal and state leaders and United Nations officials, among others, to the presidential palace for consultations on the 2016 presidential election process. The sessions at the palace, known as Villa Somalia, wrapped up shortly before the explosion.

The attack also coincided with Mogadishu's commemoration of the United Nations' annual International Day of Peace.

The Shabab came to prominence as a nationalist movement combating the United States-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006, seizing control of large parts of the country, including Mogadishu, the capital. The Shabab recently gained ground after African Union and Somali troops withdrew from several villages and towns in central and southern Somalia.

Ibrahim, Mohammed. "Deadly Car Bombing at Somalia's Presidential Palace Is Claimed by Shabab." 21 Sept. 2015. The New York Times. 22 Sept. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/world/africa/deadly-car-bombing-at-somalias-presidential-palace-is-claimed-by-shabab.html?_r=0>

Comment:

This article informs the reader about a specific event that happened in Somalia. The author seems to be very informational and not bias towards any one side. The author's goal seems to be just to inform the readers about a situation and the details of the event from a general point of view instead of a one-side based view. The tension between the Somalian government and the Shabab seems to be constant if not increasing. Although this article doesn't give an opinionated information, it does make me think about the possible terrorist attacks that many countries have faced and will face by the Shabab.