The Benadir regional governor, who doubles up as the Mayor of Federal Somalia capital, Mogadishu, Omer Mohamed Mohamoud ‘Finish’ was reported as saying that the security personnel intercepted the truck-laden explosives meant to enter the city to target important installations and ‘high officials’.
The Governor, at the time he made the comment, was at the ex-Control checkpoint on the Mogadishu-Afgoiye road where over 100 people lost their lives and more than that number sustained injuries of varying degrees by an SVBIED, unclaimed blast.
“I commend the security personnel who have bravely thwarted an attempt to drive the explosives-laden vehicle into the city to target critical institutions and high government officials,” he said.
How the mayor of mogadishu cumar filish spoke today was disheartening , it shows that no one is protecting the people of mogadishu and massacring them is not a big issue for the government !#mogadishu_attack#another_sad_day pic.twitter.com/iDWiDiOKmF
— Axmed Baashi magan (@AxmedMagan) December 28, 2019
The comment was interpreted as an insensitive, off-the-cuff slight of the dead who were mostly university students, police officers and civilians either on public transport buses or going about their morning business as if the lives lost did not matter, a ‘lesser loss’.
Standing beside him at the scene, the Somalia police commander makes another blunder asking the governor not to reveal the number of casualties to the press, which explains how Somalia government scales down casualties in similar incidents.
#Somali police Chief Abdi Mohamed Hassan [Hijar] whispers to #Mogadishu Omar Filish "Don't reveal the death toll, hide it" during a press conference after #Mogadishuattack. Another police officer behind Filish tells him "It's 93 deaths". Confused.! pic.twitter.com/omAJb9Ygzy
— Garowe Online (@radiogarowe) December 28, 2019
Report of the blast puts students killed at the spot over fifty.
Among the dead were also, according to a former security minister of Somalia, 17 security officers and 4 foreigners two of whom were identified as Turkish engineers on their way to sites along the 30-kilometre Afgoi-Mogadhsu road they were rebuilding on Turkish taxpayers’ funds.
May Allah’s mercy be upon our 2 citizens and innocent Somali brothers&sisters who lost their lives in the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated in #Mogadishu. Will always stand by brotherly #Somalia. Our fight against terrorism will resolutely continue.
— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) December 28, 2019
Turkey immediately responded by flying in medics and medical supplies.
Somali’deki alçak terör saldırısında yaralanan Somalili kardeşlerimize destek olmak amacıyla sağlık personeli ve sağlık malzemesi götürecek TSK’ya ait uçağımız Kayseri’den kalktı. pic.twitter.com/8mLMPGdiXF
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) December 28, 2019
As the more devastating blast of 14 October 2017 at the Zoppe junction, no group has yet claimed responsibility which brings to focus suspicions that there are other forces in play in the ongoing terror siege of the city. Some citizens even blamed the international community for supporting the weak government of Mogadishu which they held culpable on grounds of negligence and ineptitude.
The international community has blood in its hands for blindly supporting a regime that has governed over massacre and highest numbers of deadly bombings in #Mogadishu!! You fund them, you allow them to abuse power, you let an illegitimate electoral law passed as this unfolded!!! https://t.co/OHbcdhsZYH
— Fatuma (@Fatumaabdulahi) December 28, 2019
