Somalia: Mortar bombs strike Mogadishu airport

article-img

At least three mortar bombs were fired at Mogadishu’s international airport, authorities have confirmed.

Seven people were reported to be injured in the attack on Sunday, which is suspected to be the latest carried out by Somali militant group al-Shabaab. As many as six mortars are reported to have been fired by militants in the attack, which was carried out shortly after 1pm local time.

Mortar bombs fired at Mogadishu airport

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, James Swan, confirmed the attack. The mortars landed inside UN and AMISOM facilities at the airport’s compound where several embassies are also located.

“I am appalled by this blatant act of terrorism against our personnel, who work together with the Somali people on humanitarian, peace building, and development issues,” Swan said in a statement.

“There is no justification for such despicable acts of violence, and the United Nations remains determined to support Somalia on its path to peace, stability and development.”

Featured image: By Axmadyare – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42292666

About Aaron Brooks

Aaron Brooks is a UK journalist who wants to cut out the international agendas in news. Spending his early years in both England and Northern Ireland he saw the difference between reality and media coverage at an early age. After graduating from the University of Chester with a BA in journalism, his travels revealed just how large the gap between news and the real world can be. As Editor-in-Chief at East Africa Monitor, it’s his job to provide a balanced view of what’s going on in the region for English-speaking audiences.