Al-Shabab militants have again attacked the presidential palace in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu. But depending on who you ask, the raid is either done or ongoing as of Tuesday afternoon.
Somali government officials have told Sky News, "There were at least nine attackers. All have been killed, and the situation is under control. The attack is over." But a representative for al-Shabab disagrees, insisting the raid is still going and militants have entered the president’s office.
Whether that’s true or not, the fighters won’t find Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud inside. Multiple outlets report he's been elsewhere the whole time.
But Al Jazeera cites a senior police official who says, “The prime minister and the speaker of parliament were inside the premises.” So far, there are no confirmed government casualties.
The BBC's correspondent in Mogadishu says, "The raid is believed to have started with a car bomb at a barrier near the entrance to the compound, after which the militants attacked from two directions."
This attack looks similar to one al-Shabab attempted to carry out on the palace in February. But this time the insurgents reportedly made it into the compound. (Via CCTV Africa)
The latest siege follows al-Shabab’s promise to ramp up attacks during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which continues until July 28. (Via Euronews)
Bloomberg reports, “Somali government officials have vowed to tackle threats in Mogadishu, the target of intermittent explosions and killings of both civilians and government officials.”
Just last Saturday, the group attacked the national Parliament building in Mogadishu, killing both civilians and soldiers. (Via CNN)
