Six Dead After al-Shabab Attacks Mogadishu Airport
MOGADISHU, Somalia —Police in Somalia say at least six people are dead after two gunmen attacked Mogadishu’s heavily guarded international airport Wednesday.
The dead include a Somali national and five foreigners. The two gunmen were killed by security forces, according to police spokesman Major Abdifatah Aden Hassan.
The attackers, armed with pistols and grenades, were “pretending” to be airport workers when they launched the attack, he said.
The two gunmen attempted to force their way into a military base within the airport but were thwarted, Somali police spokesman Maj. Abdifitah Adan told state media. Three police personnel were injured, he said.
Al-Shabab, Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, claimed responsibility for the attack inside Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport, saying its fighters were attempting to invade a compound that is home to several diplomatic missions.
A heavy cloud of black smoke rose into the sky after a stray bullet hit a fuel tank near a checkpoint where al-Shabaab fighters exchanged fire with security personnel, eyewitness Awil Abdi told AP.
All domestic and international flights had been suspended due to the attack, said a statement from airport authorities.
Al-Shabab frequently stages deadly attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia. The rebels are fighting to impose strict Shariah law in Somalia and oppose the federal government in Mogadishu and the presence of foreign peacekeepers in the Horn of Africa nation.
AP
