Somali forces foil al-Shabaab's plans in Mogadishu

Somali security forces and civilians stand near the site of a car bombing on Maka al-Mukarama Road in Mogadishu on November 16, 2014. [Abdifitah Hashi Nor/AFP]

By Fuad Ahmed
Saturday, November 22, 2014

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MOGADISHU — Somali security forces have been conducting 24-hour operations in Mogadishu since early November, thwarting at least 20 attacks and arresting dozens of al-Shabaab leaders and more than 20 al-Shabaab fighters, according to the Ministry of National Security.

Al-Shabaab had planned a suicide attack targeting Dharkenley district residents heading to early morning prayers last Friday (November 14th), said ministry spokesperson Mohamed Yusuf Osman, but security forces were able to prevent the attack.

"We captured five people who were prepared to carry out suicide bombings and the person who was sheltering them, [and confiscated] four explosive vests and two explosives that were in women's purses," he told Sabahi.

"They all wanted to carry out suicide bombings against the public on Friday morning, but we were able to prevent that based on information we received from the civilians of Dharkenley district in Mogadishu," he said.

During the operation, security forces also seized weapons and five vehicles al-Shabaab had used to conduct drive-by shootings, including the vehicle used in the assassinations of five Somali lawmakers, including Saado Ali Warsame.

"The vehicles were also used to carry out numerous abductions and murders of civilians," Osman said.

"The government has also taken over four houses and three garages that were used as a base to prepare explosions," he said.

Osman called on Mogadishu residents to remain vigilant and to exercise caution about where they park their vehicles so that al-Shabaab operatives do not place explosives in them.

"Complete security is not something that can be achieved [immediately]," he said, urging the public not to be discouraged by the group's sporadic attacks.

"What is happening now is that al-Shabaab is writhing in despair having failed to achieve its goals after being overpowered [by Somali and allied forces]," Osman said. "Now, they want to hurt citizens and cause havoc so they can say, 'We are still here and we have caused an explosion'."

"But the problems and destruction that have been inflicted on al-Shabaab are bigger than that, and so let us not pay attention to its squirming and continue to support the security system," he said.

Additional security measures needed

Retired Somali National Army Colonel Dahir Timaadde welcomed the latest round of security operations but said there are still some security shortcomings that need to be addressed.

"Security forces are not in the same condition as they were three years ago when they suffered a shortage of equipment," he told Sabahi. "Nevertheless, it seems there are still many issues given the fact that killings still occur on major road intersections because they lack a security force presence."

The Somali government should station police vehicles at every intersection in Mogadishu in order to respond to emergencies in a timely fashion, Timaadde said.

"We keep hearing that groups in vehicles have killed people who work for the government and have managed to escape the crime scene," he said. "That shows the lack of capacity of the security forces. The government has to come up with a complete plan to prevent such hazards."

"While I know that security is not as stable as it should be, the security forces deserve our praise as long as they are engaged in efforts to ensure security," said 25-year-old Mogadishu resident Maryam Mohamud, who studied public administration at the University of Somalia.

"We have to work with them wholeheartedly to eliminate terrorism," she told Sabahi, calling on citizens to redouble their support for the security forces so the city can live in peace.

Mohamud also called on the government to encourage al-Shabaab fighters to turn themselves in under the amnesty programme and to ensure their safety so they will trust the initiative.

"The government should carry out ongoing awareness campaigns to let people who want to turn themselves in know they will not face any problems," she said. "The government should also increase the number of rehabilitation centres so that the extremist ideologies they were brainwashed [to believe] are eliminated from their minds."

Youth also should be given vocational training so that they can find jobs to support themselves and not be lured to join al-Shabaab with the promise of money, Mohamud said, urging Somalia's international partners and aid organisations to support those efforts.

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