Al-Shabaab, also known as Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, is an Islamic fundamentalist insurgent organisation with bases in Somalia and other countries in East Africa.
Qatar strongly condemned and denounced an attack that targeted a military base west of Somalia’s Mogadishu that killed at least one person, a statement confirmed on Monday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar said
he State of Qatar has expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the bombing that targeted a military base west of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing one person and wounding several others.
In a statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar’s “firm position rejecting violence and terrorism, regardless of the motives and reasons.
“The ministry expressed the State of Qatar’s condolences to the families of the victim and the government and people of Somalia,” it added.
The statement came just hours after a suicide bomber detonated himself at a military facility west of the country’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday, killing at least one soldier and injuring six others.
The suicide bomber had dressed as a regular soldier and joined others as they walked into a military base early on Sunday before he detonated the explosive device, reports confirmed.
The victim and six wounded soldiers were transported to Madina Hospital in Mogadishu, a nurse told Reuters.
Al Shabaab, an affiliate of Al Qaeda in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the incident, though put the death toll at 32.
“A Mujahid suicide bomber killed 32 apostate soldiers and injured over 40 others inside a base in Mogadishu today,” Al Andalus radio station which is affiliated with the group said, quoting Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations spokesperson.
Abu Musab claimed that they chose the base as a target because recruiting activities were taking place there.
The Islamist organisation routinely conducts bombings and shootings in Somalia and other places.
Al-Shabaab, also known as Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, is an Islamic fundamentalist insurgent organisation with bases in Somalia and other countries in East Africa. It is an active participant in the ongoing Somali civil war.
The group seeks to overthrow the central government of Somalia and install its own system of governance based on a strict application of Islamic law known as sharia.