Shabaab tries to assassinate top general in Somalia

[Valin]

FDD's Long War Journal

Caleb Weiss

July 15, 2020

Shabaab’s statement of responsibility for a suicide bombing against Somalia’s top general, as republished by al Qaeda’s Al Hijrah Media.

Earlier this week, Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, attempted to assassinate Somalia’s top general in Mogadishu in a suicide bombing. The attack is the latest in a series of strikes against Somali government officials across the country in recent months.

On Monday, Somali General Odowaa Yusef Rageh, the country’s Chief of Defense Forces, was targeted in a suicide car bombing in Mogadishu. As confirmed by Harun Maruf of Voice of America, Rageh’s convoy was targeted as it left Somalia’s Ministry of Defense.

The car, which was parked, then tried to intercept the convoy. Local reporting has added that members of Rageh’s security team opened fire on the car shortly before it detonated.

While Rageh survived the assassination attempt unscathed, his driver and one member of his security team were injured. Shabaab, through its Shahada News Agency, was quick to claim the blast though it offered little additional detail compared to what has already been reported.

(Snip)