Somalia to speed up operations against Al-Shabaab

Somalia will launch operations to fight smoke out Al-Shabaab fighters from their hideouts amid the group sped up its attacks against Somali government.

Two days ago, a truck laden with explosives was detonated near the gate Somali presidential palace.

In  a statement issued by Somali cabinet on Thursday, the government vowed to annihilate Al-Shabaab fighters across Somalia.

 

Tuesday’s car bomb attack killed over 22 people including officials and civilians.

Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir said on Tuesday a security officials were gathered inside one of the hotels, the SYL, at the time of blast, and that one minister and some state radio journalists were wounded.

The attack  which partially destroyed SYL Hotel in which a meeting of security officials was underway, was claimed by the Islamist militant group Al Shabaab.

Meanwhile, militant-run Somali media have reported that the driver of the bomb which hit the SYL Hotel near the presidential palace was 44-year-old Shukri Abdulahi Diriye.

According to an al-Shabaab radio station, he was born in Buusar village in the Gedo region of southern Somalia. Al-Shabaab said he was a long-time militant whose children had also joined the group as fighters.