Somali Minister for National Security, Abdelhakim Guled on Friday said that the government forces thwarted an attack against the presidential palace in Mogadishu.
A car bomb explosion followed by heavy gunfire hit near the northern gate of the presidential palace in Mogadishu.
Guled said that the government forces backed by AU peacekeepers captured several Al-Shabaab fighters involved in the attack.
“They launched a desperate attack on the presidential palace but the attack was thwarted by our forces who captured some of the attackers alive,’’ Guled said.
The police officer, Mohamoud Yonis said that the car bomb went off at one of the gates of the presidential residence in Mogadishu before several heavily armed gunmen tried to storm it.
He added that the attackers were confronted by presidential guards.
“Firefight broke out between the guards and the gunmen who were quickly neutralised by our forces,’’ Yonis said, without disclosing casualties.
UN envoy in Somalia, Nicolas Kay said that Somali President, Hassan Mohamud was unharmed, while condemning the attack on the Presidential Palace known as Villa Somalia.
“President just called me to say he’s unharmed. Attack on Villa Somalia had failed. I condemn strongly this terrorism,’’ Kay said.
Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group linked to Al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Villa Somalia.
The group is fighting the Somali government and AU peacekeeping troops in the Horn of Africa country. (Xinhua/NAN)
© anu for Royal Times of Nigeria Newspaper, 2014. |
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