A failed assassination attempt targeting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has drawn widespread condemnation from international bodies, including the United Nations, the United Kingdom, and several other organizations.
The attack, carried out by the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, occurred near the presidential compound. The assailants targeted the president’s motorcade with a roadside bomb in Mogadishu on Tuesday, injuring several people.
According to the Ministry of Information, President Mohamud emerged unharmed, though further details about the number of victims have not been released. Witnesses reported at least three bodies found at the scene.
The bomb exploded shortly after the president’s motorcade left the presidential palace, heading to the main airport where he was scheduled to oversee a military operation against militants in the Middle Shabelle region of southern Somalia.
Al-Shabaab has been engaged in an insurgency against successive Somali governments since 2006 and is responsible for numerous bombings in and around the capital.