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Al-Shabab Claims Responsibility for Deadly Bombing in Somali Capital

Harun Maruf

   The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for Saturday's
   truck bomb attack in Mogadishu, which killed at least 80 people and
   wounded 78 others.

   The official spokesman for the group, Ali Mohamud Rageh, known as Ali
   Dhere, made the statement via the group's official station, Radio
   Andalus.

   Ali Dhere said the group's target was a Turkish convoy and security
   forces at the city's busy Ex-Control junction.

   "On Saturday, the Mujahedeen executed an attack at Ex-Control,
   targeting an enemy Turkish convoy and the militias who were guarding
   them," he said. "It hit the convoy and inflicted heavy losses on the
   Turks and the apostate militias who were protecting them."

   The al-Shabab spokesman admitted civilians were killed in the
   explosion. While he said he regretted the loss of civilian lives, he
   also justified it, saying, "Protecting religion comes before saving a
   life."

   Two Turkish engineers working on a road construction project were among
   those killed in the attack. Ali Dhere has accused Turkey of training
   Somali forces and for "taking over economic resources" in Somalia.

   Turkey has been training the Somali army at a modern training facility
   in Mogadishu inaugurated in September 2017. Turkey has also implemented
   development projects in Somalia, including rebuilding roads, buildings
   and hospitals.

   Foreign country

   Earlier, Somalia's national intelligence agency accused an unidentified
   foreign country of planning the deadly truck bombing.

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