Seven militants from the group al-Shabab were killed during an attack on a high-security prison in Mogadishu, Somalia, according to government reports. The incident occurred at Godka Jilicow detention center on Saturday evening, which holds several al-Shabab members among other high-profile detainees. Witnesses reported hearing a significant explosion and gunfire during the assault.
Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that they had released “all the Muslim prisoners” and inflicted heavy casualties among the prison’s security personnel. Reports indicate that the militants disguised themselves as soldiers to gain access to the facility, which is located near the Somali presidential palace.
While the government has not specified the number of its security forces who may have died during the conflict, officials expressed condolences to the families of those they described as “fallen heroes.” Similarly, al-Shabab has not disclosed any information regarding its own casualties in this incident.
The fighting began around 16:40 local time (13:40 GMT) and raised concerns about how the militants managed to penetrate one of the most secure areas of Mogadishu. Godka Jilicow is operated by Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (Nisa) and is known for housing individuals affiliated with al-Shabab.
This attack poses significant implications for Nisa’s operations and questions the security measures in place for such a critical facility. For context, al-Shabab has been engaged in an insurgency against the Somali government for nearly two decades and is affiliated with al-Qaeda. Notably, just hours before the attack, the government had reopened key roads in Mogadishu that had been closed due to security concerns, citing improvements in safety.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3v0px28j8o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss