Deadly Explosion Hits Mogadishu: Al-Shabaab Attacks High-Security Prison

Deadly Explosion Hits Mogadishu: Al-Shabaab Attacks High-Security Prison
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A powerful explosion has rocked the vicinity of a high-security prison in Mogadishu, Somalia, followed by bursts of gunfire across the capital. The militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack, which security experts suggest is part of the group’s effort to regain influence following recent military setbacks.

According to the Shia Waves Agency, the massive blast occurred near the Godka Jilicow high-security prison, a facility adjacent to the presidential residence and controlled by Somalia’s intelligence services. The prison holds dangerous criminals and suspected members of militant groups.

Thick smoke rose over the area, and security forces immediately sealed off routes around the detention center, according to Reuters. The Al-Shabaab group, which originated from hardline Sunni factions and aims to establish governance based on its extremist interpretation of religion, claimed the attack.

Al-Shabaab has been active in Somalia since 2006, destabilizing the region through suicide bombings and attacks on civilian centers like mosques, schools, and markets, killing hundreds of innocent Somali citizens over the years.

While government forces, backed by air support from the United States and Turkey, have reclaimed large areas from the militants, remnants of Al-Shabaab remain active in rural and peripheral regions. Experts believe the group’s continued activities pose a serious threat to the stability of Somalia and the East Africa region.

Specific casualty figures from the attack are currently unconfirmed, but local sources indicate the likelihood of civilian victims.