Mogadishu Mortar Attack Kills Child, Puntland Forces Battle ISIS Fighters

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: A mortar attack by Al-Shabaab militants killed a child and seriously injured another in Mogadishu’s Xamar-Jajab district, as Somali authorities confront a rising tide of extremist violence across the country.

The two siblings were on their way to a Quranic school when a shell struck their neighborhood, their parents told local media. Authorities said the mortar was likely intended for security targets but instead landed in a densely populated civilian area.

The assault highlights the ongoing threat posed by Al-Shabaab, Somalia’s most powerful Islamist insurgent group, which frequently targets civilian centers in its campaign to destabilize the country.

Meanwhile, in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, security forces reported a string of operations against ISIS militants in the mountainous Bari region.

Puntland’s elite Darawish units said they foiled an early morning ambush attempt by ISIS fighters targeting military outposts. Follow-up operations are underway to pursue militants who fled into the rugged terrain.

The ambush attempt followed an earlier operation in the Ceelka Togga Miiraale area, where Puntland forces killed several ISIS militants hiding in underground bunkers and destroyed key militant hideouts.

Officials said the consecutive operations reflect Puntland’s renewed efforts to dismantle ISIS networks and reinforce stability in the region.

Both the mortar attack in Mogadishu and the clashes in Puntland underscore the persistent security challenges facing Somalia, where extremist groups continue to threaten both civilians and government forces despite sustained military pressure.