Somalia: Madobe summons top security chiefs after attack at Mosque

KISMAYO, Somalia - Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe on Saturday summoned top security chiefs in the southern port city of Somalia, hours after a top business leader was killed outside a mosque by an Al-Shabaab bomber on Friday.

The Jubaland state officials said that the president was angered by the death, which further exposes innocent citizens, who have been facing extremism attacks from the Al-Shabaab militants. The group has been fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed Somalia government, which is yet to establish key institutions.

While it's not clear what the president told the security chiefs, it's however clear that he discussed ways of eliminating Al-Shabaab from Jubaland territory. The group still controls large swathes of rural Lower and Middle Juba, and have established headquarters at Jilib town, which is located in Middle Juba.

It's in this town that Al-Shabaab recruits and trains young fighters, and the regional forces, Somali National Army [SNA], and the US Africa Command have been struggling to contain the attacks. Also closely involved in the fight are the African Union Mission troops in Somalia.

A suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Kismayo on Friday killing Shafi'i Raabii Kaahin, one of Jubaland's founding fathers. The group has since taken responsibility but could explain why he was targeted, even though influential people are usually put on notice by the militants.

On Saturday morning Madobe, along with his two Vice presidents, ministers, and members of the public attended the funeral to the chairman of Jubaland Chamber of Commerce, who succumbed to serious wounds he sustained in the attack. 

Jubaland state president has jetted back to Kismayo from Mogadishu shortly after the attack and condemned the terrorist bombing as "heinous and barbaric" and asked locals to work with security forces in the fight against Al-Shabaab militants.

The attack comes barely a week after the militants raided a US-run military outpost in the outskirts of Kismayo, the regional administrative capital of Puntland. A statement issued by the US military and FGS indicated that two SNA soldiers were killed while one US serviceman was critically injured.

Some reports from Al-Shabaab militants indicate that the US military and Danab Commandos have since left the site. However, Jubaland and SNA forces had earlier indicated that all roads within the radius of 5 KM from the region had been closed to allow fresh operation against the militants.

GAROWE ONLINE