A file photo of a scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia November 9, 2018. Reuters
A file photo of a scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia November 9, 2018. Reuters

Car bomb strikes near religious centre in Somalia



Al Shabab gunmen and a suicide car bomber struck a religious centre in central Somalia on Monday, killing a cleric and at least 14 of his followers before the attackers were shot dead by security forces.

"The [security] operation is now over. Al Shabab killed 15 people including the cleric, his wife, his followers and his guards," said police officer Capt Nur Mohamed from Galkayo, the capital of the Mudug region where the attack took place.

"Three militants who stormed the centre were also shot dead."

Al Shabab had accused the cleric, who was known as Abdiweli, of insulting Prophet Mohammed. Residents of Galkayo and a regional official said he may have also been targeted because his centre hosted mostly youths who played music and danced.

An Al Shabab spokesman put the number of dead at 26, saying some soldiers who responded to the attack were killed as they tried to remove a second car bomb.

"We killed 26 people including the owner of the centre, his followers, his bodyguards and soldiers," said Abdiasis Abu Musab.

"The owner of the centre was the man who abused the Prophet. The soldiers that died tried to drive a second car bomb that was left by the armed mujahideen."

The Al Qaeda-linked group was forced from the capital Mogadishu in 2011 and most other Somali towns and cities, but it retains a strong presence outside the capital and launches frequent bombings and other attacks in a campaign to topple the federal government.

Abdirashid Hashi, the governor of Mudug region, said Al Shabab had threatened Abdiweli on numerous occasions.

An elder in Galkayo said Abdiweli had provided free boarding to former pirates, street boys and jobless men and they became his followers.

"He used to tell teenagers: 'If you were a pirate, or a bandit, stop it and come and dance, eat food and sleep here. God will forgive your sins.' Some other ignorant teenagers thought he was as saint ... and so joined him," said Ismail Abdirahman.

"We understood there was something wrong with him but we could not take him to court because the man was well armed."

Al Shabab is fighting to establish its own rule based on its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. The group controls small sections in Mudug region, but not Galkayo.

In a separate attack in Mogadishu on Monday, at least three people died when a car bomb exploded in front of shops in the Wadajir district of the capital, police and witnesses said.

"A parked car laden with explosives exploded in front of shops. So far we know three people died," said Maj Mohamed Hussein, a police officer. "Death toll may rise because there are many shops there."

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Read more:

Somalia blasts leave dozens dead in Mogadishu

Pentagon to cut hundreds of troops in Africa as US focuses on China and Russia

Calls for greater support to Somalia voiced at UN General Assembly

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Key developments in maritime dispute

2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier. 

2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus

2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.

2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.

2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.

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Violence%20
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River Plate 4

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