Somalia’s security forces have fought off an attack carried out by members of the al-Shabaab terrorist group at the Banaadir Regional Administration headquarters in the country’s capital Mogadishu, Somalia’s Information Ministry has said in a statement.
The attack started with a suicide bombing as a blast tore through a building near the office complex. It was followed by terrorists storming the headquarters and engaging in a shoot-out with security guards. The ministry added that the militants came to the office on foot disguised as National Army troops.
According to Somalia’s Information Ministry, the security forces conducted a multifaceted operation, killing all six terrorists and managing to save regional officials. The siege lasted four hours.
"All six attackers died. Five of them during the fire exchange with the security forces and one of them blew himself up [...] The situation is back to normal," Somali police spokesman Sadik Dudishe is quoted as saying.
At least five civilians died and four others were injured as a result of the terror attack. All the staff at the office were rescued, the police said.
This latest attack comes several days after seven soldiers were killed in a car bombing on Friday, including deputy commander Hassan Tuurre, who was a key figure in the ongoing military offensive against al-Shabaab in the region. The militants targeted a military base in the town of Galcad in Galmudug state, 375km north-east of the capital Mogadishu.
In recent months, the al-Shabaab jihadist movement has intensified its attacks on the country’s security forces and its bases as Somali military started its offensive against the terrorists, declaring a "total war" on all fronts.
Somalia’s Deputy Defense Minister Abdifatah Kasim recently said that al-Shabaab has asked to open negotiations in the face of the military offensive. He added that an open dialogue is possible with terrorist factions which consist of locals whereas for foreigners there was only one option - "to return to where they are from". He said that the government is "ready to receive" Somalis who want to surrender.
*Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda are terrorist organizations outlawed in Russia and many other countries.