Somali extremist group al-Shabaab has been stepping up a campaign of assassinations against officials and anyone else associated with the Federal government in and outskirts of Somali capital, Mogadishu in the last 24-hours, Horseed Media reports.
In one of the attacks, a senior Intelligence officer was shot dead along with his three bodyguards near the popular Jazira beach. Reports say that he was the head of intelligence service in that area.
A senior official of the Banadir regional administration survived a bomb attached to his car which exploded in one of Mogadishu neighbourhoods. According to witnesses, the official was not inside the car at the time the blast occurred.
Elsewhere, a female trader was shot down by unknown gunmen in an area close to the Bakara market. The motive behind this killing is still yet unclear.
With the onset of Ramadan, the Muslim religious holiday of fasting and prayer, al-Shabaab insurgents have historically increased the number of attacks against African Union and Somalia Security Forces.
Somalia’s Federal government stepped up security in and around the Somali capital in the run-up to the holy month of Ramadan, but the militants have continued to carry out their bloody campaign.
Earlier this week, a senior intelligence was seriously wounded in a bomb planted in his car.
However, Analysts believe that the recent attacks in Mogadishu didn’t reflect a stronger Al Shabaab but did expose deficiencies in the security apparatus.
Horseed Media/++
