A suicide bomber rammed a car loaded with explosives into the gate of the local government headquarters in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday. Gunmen then stormed the headquarters of the regional government, which houses, among other things, the office of the mayor of Mogadishu and the governor of the neighboring region of Benadir, police officer Mohamed Dahir told the German Press Agency.
According to Dahir, the suspected terrorists fired. At least six people were killed, including two security forces, three civilians and the suicide bomber. The Islamic militia Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.
The mayor and several other officials were evacuated by security forces, Dahir said. However, the suspected terrorists continued to surround the building. The seat of local government is about a kilometer from the president’s office.
The crisis state in the Horn of Africa, home to some 16 million people, has been rocked by terrorist attacks and other acts of violence for years, especially by the Al-Shabaab terrorist militia. For several months, the government has launched a military offensive against Al-Shabaab, which has been trying to overthrow the Somali government since 2006. The government has managed to recapture large parts of central Somalia. At the same time, extremists are increasing the frequency of their attacks.