The capital, Mogadishu has witnessed gunfire and explosions in the early hours of Wednesday as al-Shabaab militants attacked police stations and security checkpoints, Somalia’s internal security minister said .
“The terrorists attacked the suburbs of Mogadishu and targeted our police stations and checkpoints,” Abdullahi Nor, the internal security minister, wrote on Twitter in the early hours of Wednesday.
At 1:00am The terrorist attacked the suburbs of Mogadishu and targeted our police stations & check points, & i am informing to the Public that our security forces defeated the enemy & the Police Force will share further information to the public when it is possible and available
— Hon. Abdullahi M Nor (@AbdullahiMNOR) February 16, 2022
“Our security defeated the enemy,” he added.
There were no immediate details on casualties or claims for responsibility.
Initial sources said a police station in the Kahda neighbourhood came under heavy attack, which began with bombings followed by fierce gunfights.
Somalia has been in a bloody conflict for years between government forces and al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants, which seeks to take control of the Horn of Africa state and govern it in accordance with its hardline interpretation of Islamic law.
