Somalia’s Islamist insurgency group, Alshabaab on Saturday refuted the involvement of a woman suicide bomber in the assassination of the country’s interior and national security minister on Friday.
Al-Shabaab which claimed the responsibility following the bloody incident said they instead planted bomb under the bed of the minister in his downtown Mogadishu home.
The group Spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage confirmed during a press conference in the capital that no woman suicide bomber was used to kill the minister describing the allegations as far from truth.
"We are thanking Allah who made it possible for us to kill the minister in his bed, at a time when the minister is claiming to spearhead the security of the country” said Sheikh Ali Rage who described the deceased minister as one of the only formidable enemy of Al-shabaab.
“We are targeting the same strategy against other officials of the government. AMISOM tank cannot protect the lives of government officials. Instead they should warn AMISOM to stop what they are doing”.
The former interior and national security minister Abdishakur Sheikh died on Friday night a few hours after a heavy blast hit his compound in the volatile Mogadishu where the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is battling with Al-shabaab fighters.
Saturday’s development in which the group denied using woman killer contracts reports that a close relative of the minister who was a girl was used to carry out the act inside the minister’s house.
Meanwhile, the Al-Shabaab official addressed protesters who rocked parts of Mogadishu over the last two days, saying pro-government protests will not force any changes within the TFG setup, which he said had failed to restore peace and order.
In previous suicide attacks, similarly the group claimed the responsibility of the death of five former ministers serving the cabinet of former prime minster Omar Abdirashi Sharmake.
Former ministers killed in Al-shabaab actions includes: Omar Hashi who was killed in June 2009 at Beled Weyne, the headquarters of Somalia’s North-central Hiiraan region.
Others are Qamar Adan, Ibrahim Hassan, Ahmed Abdullahi and Suleiman Roble who were assassinated in the deadly Hotel Shamow bombing on Dec 3rd 2009.
Source: Hiiraan Online
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