Hours after the deadly raid on the Maka Al Mukarrama Hotel, on the main avenue of Mogadishu, the capital of the Somalia Federal Government, ended, Al Shabaab shelled Villa Somalia where offices of the President, the Prime Minister, the Electoral Commission, the Speaker and Deputy speakers of the Parliament, and a number of other core offices are located.
At least two mortar shells inside the compound. One damaged the offices of the Somalia National Electoral Commission. Another landed at one of the parking lots, hitting the official car of the First Deputy House Speaker of Somalia’s Lower House of the Federal Parliament, Abdiweli Sheikh Ibrahim Muddey.
Two other shells directly hit the Ministry of Commerce situated at a short distance from the perimeter wall of the government seat, lying in between Villa Somalia and the currently refurbished National Theatre.
The shells are believed to have been fired from a single gun.
the mortar attack comes barely 12 hours after the devastating attack which left, according to moderate estimates, more than forty dead, and at least 70-80 more injured, some seriously. Only one of many ambulance services registered 20 dead, and 64 injured.
Al Shabaab Spokesperson, Abdi Aziz Abu Mus’ab, stated that four of their fighters ‘martyred’ during the siege and that a number of their operatives involved in the raid safely returned to their bases.
