Turkish Airlines official shot dead in Somali capital

An official from Turkish Airlines (THY) was shot dead when gunmen attacked a car carrying THY officials in Mogadishu on Tuesday.

Sadettin Doğan is chief of security for THY in the Somali capital and responsible for the safety of the company’s employees in Mogadishu, a city still beset by unrest and disorder amid sporadic attacks by al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabab.

An official at Turkey’s Foreign Ministry also confirmed the death of a Turkish national in what was the second attack targeting Turks in Mogadishu in less than a year.

In July 2013, a car loaded with explosives rammed into an office housing Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital, killing three people. The attack was claimed by Islamist al Shabaab rebels. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the THY team.

Somalia is attempting to rebuild itself after two decades of civil war and lawlessness, triggered by the overthrow of president Siad Barre in 1991.

The fragile government is being backed by international aid aimed at preventing it from becoming a haven for al Qaeda-style militants in east Africa.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became the first non-African leader to visit Somalia in nearly 20 years when he travelled there in 2011.

Turkey is a key ally of the Somali government. It was a major contributor to the humanitarian aid effort at the height of the 2011 famine and Ankara continues to build hospitals and dispatch aid across Somalia.

todayszaman.com