Al-Shabaab strikes thrice amid elections in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Al-Shabaab militants continued with their onslaught in Somalia as the country continued with elections which the opposition had termed as "shambolic" before an agreement was reached in December last year.

In the first strike on Wednesday, the militants killed four civilians in the ancient town of Barawe in the Southern part of the country, on a day when the Southwest state was holding parliamentary elections for seven seats.

The Al-Shabaab media affiliates reported the attack but did not give further details thus it's not clear who they targeted in this particular raid. But the fact that it happens at the time the region is holding elections for 13 parliamentary seats speaks volumes.

Witnesses said the militants fired five rounds of mortars to the town with tow hitting residential houses. The mortars landed in Sakhawadin and Dayah neighborhoods in Barawe town, leading to four deaths and multiple injuries.

The network was down the town earlier but it’s back to normal service now, another witness said. The militants thrive on communication failure when attacking certain towns in the country to evade hawk-eyed Somali National Army [SNA] and AU forces.

On Wednesday, only seven Parliamentary elections took place while the contest for the remaining six will be held on Thursday according to authorities. All states are rushing to beat the deadline and analysts say there has been tremendous progress in recent weeks.

Later on Wednesday, at least four people were killed and seven others injured in an explosion at a restaurant in northeast Somalia's commercial city of Bosaso on Wednesday afternoon.

A Puntland police officer told state-run Radio Mogadishu that the bomber struck in front of a restaurant in Bosasso's Al Macruuf shopping center. The motive of the latest attack in Puntland State has not been established.

Locals said security forces have launched a major manhunt for the perpetrators of the latest explosion in Bosaso town which has been beset by a series of landmine and suicide bombings including assassinations in the recent past.

No group had claimed responsibility for the blast but al-Qaida allied terror group, al-Shabab, and the Islamic States [ISIS] have staged such attacks in the past in Bosaso and elsewhere in Puntland State. But Al-Shabaab would later on claim responsibility.

The so-called ISIS wing in Somalia has its main base in the Puntland region and has occasionally clashed with Puntland forces and al-Shabab. There have been efforts both by the regional and federal governments to flush out the militants.

On Thursday, a suicide bomber blew up in the El Gaab junction area of Mogadishu. Police say the bomber detonated explosives among civilians but gave no specific details on casualties. Mogadishu is hosting the election of another round of parliamentary seats.

The attack also comes a day after opposition bigwigs questioned the motive of dispatching Somali National Army Infantry commander General Tahlil Bihi, who is a close ally of outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo. Bihi is accused of infiltrating the electoral process.

Somalia is under pressure to conclude elections by February 25 before embarking on the much anticipated presidential polls. Already, the US has started slapping visa restrictions on individuals believed to be saboteurs of elections.

GAROWE ONLINE