Somalia: Shabaab Terrorists Kill Cleric, 14 Others in Car Bomb, Gun Attack

Local Editor

Al Shabaab terrorists and a suicide car bomber struck a religious center in central Somalia on Monday, killing a cleric and at least 14 of his followers.

The terrorist group accused the cleric of insulting Prophet Mohamed, which he denied.

The group was forced from Mogadishu in 2011 and most towns and cities but it retains a strong presence outside the capital and launches frequent bombings and other attacks in a campaign to topple the federal government.

"The [security] operation is now over. Al Shabaab killed 15 people including the cleric, his wife, his followers and his guards," Captain Nur Mohamed, a police officer, told Reuters from Galkayo by phone.

"Three militants who stormed the center were also shot dead."

The group took responsibility for the attack and put the number of dead at 26. It said some soldiers who responded to the first attack also died as they tried to remove a second car bomb.

"We killed 26 people including the owner of the center, his followers, his bodyguards and soldiers," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operation spokesman, said.

Residents of Galkayo and a regional official said Abdiweli may have also been targeted because his center hosts mostly youths who play music and dance.

Al Shabaab said last year the cleric had insulted the Prophet, an accusation denied at the time by Abdiweli.

Abdirashid Hashi, the governor of Mudug region, told Reuters that al Shabaab had threatened Abdiweli on numerous occasions.

Al Shabaab is fighting to establish its own rule based on its harsh interpretation of false Islamic law. The group controls small sections on Mudug region, but it does not include Galkayo.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team