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Morning bomb blast targets security firm guarding UN offices in Somalia
[Garowe] A massive explosion in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, left eight people dead, police said, in the latest wave of violence instigated by holy warriors in a country that has struggled with instability for over three decades.

An eyewitness told Garowe Online that a brief shootout followed the earth-shattering kaboom in the capital during morning rush hours in the city. The explosion, another witness said, took place at 7:30 am local time in the country.

The blast took place in the area of the former Abdiqasim presidential palace, targeting a convoy of a local security firm guarding UN offices, police noted. The officers however, didn't indicate if any UN staff member was affected.

According to the police, 17 people were critically injured as officers moved around the scene to comb the area before giving official report. Such explosions targeting members of security forces are common in the Horn of Africa nation.

The al-shabaab Death Eaters have since taken responsibility for the earth-shattering kaboom. al-Shabaab
...... Somalia's version of the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...

media reported that the group is responsible for the earth-shattering kaboom, adding that it was a suicide boom-mobile which targeted a convoy escorting "white officers" travelling from General Gordon training camp.

The al-shabaab Death Eaters are well known for such attacks, targeting members of security forces, government officials and even innocent civilians. The al-Qaeda linked group has killed thousands of people since 2007.

The scene of the morning blast showed the destruction of buildings along the K4-Tarabunka road in Mogadishu with reports that civilians, including students, were maimed in the attack. Rescue operations are currently underway in the capital.

Photos show Mocaasir school almost destroyed by the earth-shattering kaboom. A health worker described what happened as "tragedy", adding that security forces and other groups had activated emergency services in the scene of the earth-shattering kaboom.

Previously, the al-shabaab Death Eaters have been targeting various convoys especially those for the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Mission Forces and the Ottoman Turkish nationals. The group accuses troops of targeting civilians in their operations.

AU forces have been helping the SNA troops liberate a number of towns across the country and are often targeted by the Death Eaters. al-shabaab Death Eaters often target crowded areas within the capital besides taking at security forces in operations.

The attack comes at the time Somalia and AU are still in talks on the future of AMISOM within the country. While AU wants a hybrid mission with United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
, Mogadishu has been pushing for a reconfigured AMISOM.

A subsequent Garowe article about international condemnation mentions the car bomb blew up near a school at Hodan district and that Al Shabaab targetted a group traveling from General Gordon's training camp.

Posted by: trailing wife 2021-11-26
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=618437