MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Al Qaeda-linked Shebab claimed responsibility for shooting dead a lawmaker and his bodyguard yesterday, the latest in a surge of attacks in Mogadishu during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan.
“This was a targeted assassination,” Shebab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab said.
A witness said MP Ahmed Mohamud Hayd, a former minister and a senior army commander, was killed in the capital’s port district, one of the most heavily policed areas in the city.
“We will continue to hunt other MPs if they do not leave the apostate organisation,” Abu Musab added, referring to parliament.
Gunmen in a car opened fire on the lawmakers as they left a hotel.
A government official was wounded, while a second MP escaped unharmed, the United Nations said, contradicting initial Shebab boasts to have also wounded the lawmaker.
The district is close to both parliament and the presidential palace.
“The gunmen were driving in an expensive car and escaped after the killing. Police and other security forces sealed off the area,” said Abdi Liban, a witness.
The Shebab have vowed to intensify attacks during Ramadan.
“They were going to attend a parliament session when they have come under attack. One of the lawmakers was confirmed dead,” fellow MP Abdi Bare Yusuf told reporters after the attack.
Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed condemned the “abhorrent” attack.
“We condemn this and any other murders, especially during the holy month of Ramadan,” Ahmed said in a statement.
The US embassy in Uganda warned yesterday of a “specific threat” by an unknown group to attack the international airport serving the capital Kampala.
AFP
