Thursday April 13, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Puntland police forces have announced that they have received information regarding the mastermind behind the attack on the Al-Maruf Company in Bosaso, which resulted in two deaths of the company's employees.
The attack, which took place on the fifth of this month, involved hand grenades that caused the company's property to burn down.
According to Puntland Police Commander Major General Mumin Abdi Shire, the attack was carried out by a terrorist group based in the mountains of the Bari region. Their purpose was to intimidate business people in Bosaso into paying bribe money to the terrorist group in Puntland.
The commander did not name the group behind the attack, but Daesh/ISIS is known to be active in the mountainous Bari region.
The police commander added that they are taking measures in response to the threat to people in business in the Bari region. Some business people are about to close their business centers following the attack on the Al-Maruf company in Bosaso.
The commander has warned remittance companies, banks, and telecommunications companies to open accounts for terrorist groups that want to extort money from Puntland business people.
Earlier this year, Somalia's government threatened to sanction businesses that pay extortion money to Al-Shabaab, looking to choke off a lucrative cash pipeline the Islamist militants use to fund a deadly insurgency.
The federal government has warned that the full force of the law will be brought against traders who pay the Al-Qaida ally.
Experts say the group raises millions of dollars through a complex and extensive taxation system.