A bomb attack targeted the convoy of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, soon after the motorcade left the grounds of the presidential palace, in Somalia on Tuesday, but the president emerged unharmed.
According to various eyewitness accounts, the explosion could have left as many as three people dead, although no official information on casualties has been released.
Government sources, however, confirmed that the president was unharmed and headed to Middle Shabelle in southern Somalia to oversee military operations against al-Shabab.
Al-Shabab, which opposes the federal authorities, frequently carries out bombings and assaults targeting government and military officials.
This is, however, only the second time since 2014 that the president has been directly targeted.
In recent weeks, Somalia’s government has stepped up efforts to combat al-Shabab, which controls parts of rural Somalia and threatens the government’s hold over the nation in the Horn of Africa.
Africanews/Shakirat Sadiq
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