Somali-Canadian Killed in Attack on Somalia’s Presidential Palace
Mogadishu, 22 Feb 2014 (SDN) – A Canadian who had returned to Mogadishu to work as the chief of staff for Somalia’s prime minister was among those killed Friday in a brazen attack on the country’s government compound, one of the capital’s most heavily guarded facilities.
Mohamud Hersi Abdulle died near the mosque inside Villa Somalia, the government’s headquarters, after a car bomb ripped through the gates and militants dressed in army fatigues stormed the compound.
A security source in Mogadishu told the Toronto Star that the attackers had taken advantage of construction around Villa Somalia to breach the perimeter and a second bomb inside the compound later killed a guard.
Al Shabab, the Somalia-based Al Qaeda group that launched September’s terrorist attack on an upscale mall in Nairobi, claimed responsibility for Friday’s bombings. Graphic photos of the bodies of some of the attackers — dressed in fatigues and many of whom looked like teenagers — were later posted on line.
Abdulle, also known as Indha-Asse, is among the dozens of members of Somalia’s vast diaspora who have moved to Mogadishu in the past few years to try to rebuild their country after two decades of lawlessness. Canadians, Americans and British citizens hold some of the country’s top government positions.
“Today marks a sad day for Somalia, losing an incredible man who selflessly sacrificed so much for his people and country,” said a senior advisor to Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed. “His precious life will not be lost in vain. Al Shabab will be defeated.”
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, issued a statement Friday night, condemning the attack and praising Abdulle’s work.
“His death reminds us all of the great risks and sacrifices Canadians take around the world in support of greater peace and security,” Baird wrote. “Canada stands with the Somali people in their efforts to build a peaceful and prosperous Somalia.”
Although the exact number of those killed was not known, Col. Nur Shirbow, a high-level intelligence officer, and nine of the attackers were reportedly also among the dead.
The prime minister, who is also a Canadian from Ottawa, was out of the country Friday, but President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was inside the compound and normally attended Friday prayers at the mosque.
Nicholas Kay, the United Nations’ special representative for Somalia, wrote on Twitter shortly after the attack that the president had called him to report that he was unharmed. “Attack on Villa #Somalia had failed. Sadly some lives lost. I condemn strongly this terrorism,” Kay wrote.
But Villa Somalia is second only in security to Mogadishu’s oceanfront airport area, which in recent months has grown into a sprawling compound for foreigners, including a hotel offering $500-a-night rooms and Friday’s bombing shows the Shabab can still strike deep inside the capital.
“The attack on the heart of Villa Somalia and the proximity to the highest leadership is another level, a categorical departure, to what we’ve seen before,” said Abdi Aynte, the executive director of the Mogadishu-based think-tank, the Heritage Institute. “A year ago, the Shabab was always under assault, fighting from a defensive position. What we’ve seen in the past few months is that it seems like they are fighting from an offensive position, and the government is on the defence.”
Mohamud has survived other assassination attempts, includingSeptember 2012 attackaSeptember 2012 attackon the popular Jazeera Hotel.
Last year, Shabab militants led by Canadian university student Mahad Dhore, stormed Somalia’s main courthouse, killing 15 and injuring dozens. The United Nations compound was hit a month later in an attack that followed Friday’s pattern with a truck bomb, followed by a firefight.
Ken Menkhaus, a Davidson College professor who specializes in Somali affairs, writes in a report to be published Monday in the CTC Sentinel, that while certain aspects of the Shabab may have weakened, it’s clandestine Amniyat network remains sophisticated and its members report directly to Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane.
“Al Shabab’s Amniyat network retains the capacity to launch destabilizing and demoralizing attacks inside Somalia and extort funds from Somali businesses and politicians,” Menkhaus writes in West Point’s anti-terrorism publication.
A second-tier group is estimated at about 5,000 fighters, many of whom “have joined mainly for a paycheck.”
Source: the star