A suicide bombing occurred outside the Somalian capital of Mogadishu on the 2nd of January 2021, targeting the employees of a Turkish company building a road between the capital and Afgoye, a town about 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of the city. The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack via its Shahada News Agency, having attacked the same road project previously in January 2020.
At least five people were killed in the attack, including two Turks and three Somali police officers. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that a further 14 people, including three Turks, were wounded and are being treated in a Mogadishu hospital. The attack forms part of al-Shabab’s insurgency against the foreign-backed government in Mogadishu, which has Turkey as one of its closest foreign partners in development, health and education. The bombing took place just 15km (8 miles) away from Turkey’s largest foreign military training base, which was fortunately not affected by the blast. Al-Shabab frequently carries out bombings to try to undermine the Somalian government’s relationship with Turkey, and has targeted other Turkish personnel and installations in the past.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the attack, and highlighted the company’s contributions to the development and prosperity of Somalia. The Ministry is closely monitoring the medical status of the wounded Turkish citizens, with the Turkish Health Minister assuring that their condition remains stable.
To know more, please read:
http://www.mfa.gov.tr/no_-1_-somali-de-duzenlenen-teror-saldirisi-hk.en.mfa
Author: Tan Zhong Chen; Editor: Xavier Atkins
