On Saturday, July 4th 2020, a suicide car bomber targeted at a tax collection center in the Hamar Jajab district in the southeast area of Mogadishu, while  a landmine detonated near a restaurant on the outskirts of Baidoa, the southwestern Bay region.

According to government officials, the attacks resulted at least five civilians were killed. The suicide car bomb in Mogadishu killed one police officer and wounded six civilians. Although security officers were able to stop the attacker to reach the collector center, the blast damaged a nearby wall. The bomber sped through the first security checkpoint and exploded outside the gates before police officers opened fire on the vehicle. The explosion in Baidoa killed at least five civilians and wounded several others. Ali Abdullahi, an official with the South West regional state, said that the mine was detonated by remote control and shook people who were dining in the morning rush.

Al-Shabab, a terrorist group linked to Al Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for both deadly attacks. This group has carried out similar assaults in the past. The militants said that they targeted tax collectors in Baidoa who are holding a meeting at the restaurant. The UN-backed government has been battling against Al-Shabab for more than a decade, attempting at controlling the country. Al-Shabab, which often targets capital Mogadishu with suicide bombing, controls parts of southern and central Somalia.

To know more, please read:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/killed-somalia-bomb-attacks-200704133645156.html

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somalia-bomb-blasts-kill-5-civilians-1-police-officer/1899955

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53289992

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/04/world/africa/somalia-bombing-mogadishu.html

Author: Mery Ana Farida; Editor: Sara Gorelli