News / Somalia

Al-Shabab kills 15 in new attack in Somalia

Monday, 26 November 2018 6:51 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 26 November 2018 8:22 AM ]

Al-Shabab militants (file photo)

The al-Shabab terrorist group has launched a two-pronged attack on a religious institution in central Somalia, killing a cleric and 14 other people.

“The (security) operation is now over. Al-Shabab killed 15 people, including the cleric, his wife, his followers, and his guards,” Captain Nur Mohamed, a police officer, told Reuters from Galkayo by phone. “Three militants who stormed the center were also shot dead.”

Farah Nur, an elder in Galkayo, said a driver rammed an explosive-laden car into the center before other assailants attacked it, also according to Reuters.

A file photo of al-Shabab militants in the town of Elasha Biyaha, southwest of the Somali capital, Mogadishu (by AFP)

The Takfiri al-Shabab quickly claimed responsibility for the attack.

The terrorist group controls some sections of the Mudug region, where the city of Galkayo is located.

Al-Shabab militants have stepped up on their attacks in the past months, launching numerous attacks on civilian and government targets and injuring and killing many people.

Bystanders look at the wreckage of a van after a car bomb exploded in the center of Mogadishu on September 28, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

In an ambush on government forces on Saturday, the militants killed at least 10 Somali soldiers in the country’s south.

Al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaeda, has fought successive Somali governments as well as neighboring governments in Kenya and Uganda.

African Union forces have helped Somali government forces push the Takfiri terrorists out of the capital, Mogadishu, and large parts of the south and central Somalia. However, al-Shabab continues deadly attacks across the country.

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