August 10, 2012 by Agency Reporter Leave a Comment
At least eight Somali
government troops were killed when a remote-controlled bomb hit their
vehicle in Mogadishu, officials said on Thursday, highlighting lingering
security risks less than two weeks before the United Nations-backed
government’s mandate ends.
Somalia’s Islamist al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday evening.
Government troops and
African Union peacekeepers say they have tightened security before a
presidential election on August 20 when the transitional government will
be dissolved.
A combined force
including Kenyan, Burundian, Ethiopian and Djiboutian troops is planning
an offensive on Kismayu, Somalia’s second biggest city and a hub for al
Shabaab, before then.
Residents said the military vehicle had been destroyed by a roadside bomb in the Huriwaa district of northern Mogadishu.
“A bomb killed eight
soldiers and completely destroyed their pickup. Only two, including the
driver, survived with injuries,” Mohamed Abdikadir, a senior police
officer, told Reuters.
Although Somali troops
and peacekeepers of the African Union Mission in Somalia drove al
Shabaab fighters from most of Mogadishu in August 2011, the latest
bombing shows the militants can still stage deadly attacks in the
capital.
Al Shabaab has
threatened more attacks as Somalia’s three top government officials and a
dozen other politicians campaign for the presidency. Last week the
government foiled two would-be suicide bombers who targeted a conference
hall where delegates approved a draft constitution.
“We destroyed the government pickup yesterday,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, military spokesman for al Shabaab, told Reuters. “AMISOM and government forces will never sleep or relax. More explosions await them.”
On Tuesday, Uganda’s
military, which provides the bulk of peacekeeping force, said it had
deployed an air force contingent to reinforce the troops in their fight
against al Shabaab.
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