Sunday January 22, 2023
Police officers take up positions outside of the Mayor's office where an ongoing gun battle erupted following a reported explosion, in Mogadishu, on January 22, 2023. Hassan Ali Elmi | AFP
MOGADISHU (Xinhua) -- The Somali troops on Sunday killed six al-Shabab militants and ended the hours-long siege by the al-Qaeda-linked network in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, authorities said.
A statement from Somalia's Ministry of Information said that five civilians were also killed in the suicide bomb attacks and gunfire that occurred at the administrative headquarter of the Benadir region in Hamar-Weyne financial district.
The militants masqueraded as the national army to enable them to evade security barriers and stage an attack, the statement said.
The attack by al-Shabab militants triggered shockwaves in the Hamar-Weyne district and led to the closure of malls, banks, and other business premises nearby. "I heard explosions and then gunfire. I felt fear and closed my shop and so did the shopping areas in the market," an eyewitness said.
The al-Shabab militants claimed responsibility for the attack.