Latest military reports from Somalia indicate that a convoy carrying Somalia Army Chief, General Odawa Yusuf Rage has been targeted in a massive explosive device .
Initial reports indicate that the incident happened near Mogadishu’s Tarabunka junction. After the explosion, heavy gunfire ensued. Though details about the casualties remains scanty, several people are feared dead in a bomb blast near Somalia’s defense HQ in Mogadishu on Monday noon, in an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda aligned Al-Shabaab.
General Odawa Yusuf Rage who was promoted from the army’s infantry command to chief of staff, is the country’s youngest man to ever lead the national armed forces.
Incident of targeted attacks by the Islamists’ Al-Shabaab have increased especially in the capital Mogadishu and its environs.
The attacks come after a heavy fighting was reported between Al-Shabaab fighters and U.S.-trained Somali forces in the outskirt of Janale town in Lower Shabelle region. Reports further say fighting erupted after Al-Shabaab militants targeted Somali troops carrying US military trainers with IED explosion.
Al-Shabaab continue to demonstrate persistently and constantly its ability to attack heavily fortified facilities including military bases and army convoys from across Somalia regions.
