The Commander of a Turkey-trained commando unit was killed, Friday, in Mogadishu in an exchange of fire between his bodyguards and unknown assailants a stone’s throw down Villa Somalia, the President’s office.
Mohammed Suleiman was the commander of a unit named ‘The Eagle’ belonging to the elite commando troops past of who Turkey trained, the other the United States.
The exchange of fire happened near Hotel Nasahablood II in a small area also housing the Federal Women’s Organization HQ and the National Theatre at the centre of Mogadishu. It is also down the road leading to Villa Somalia where president Farmajo, the PM and most of the government of the internationally-supported teetring federal government is seated.
One of the commander’s bodyguards was also killed in the attack.
Thus far, nobody has claimed responsibility but the attack has all the hallmarks of Al Shabaab written all over it.
The Islamist fighters have picked up attacks on government personnel, especially of the armed and security branches. It was only a day before the fighters gunned three members of the government’s NISA intelligence branch at a restaurant in the Waberi district of the capital before making their escape on a rickshaw tri-cycle.
