The New York Times reports on 10 July 2021 that a large car bomb targeting a convoy carrying a prominent police official exploded in the capital Mogadishu,
killing at least five people and injuring nine others. Al-Shabaab swiftly claimed responsibility, saying in a statement that the blast killed and wounded a "large number" of the police chief"s guards and destroyed multiple vehicles.
World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: "Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, has been fighting to overthrow the federal government since 2007 and has launched innumerable attacks targeting both government troops and civilians. The group controls areas of rural southern and central Somalia and carries out frequent attacks in Mogadishu. It is presumed that this particular attack was targeting the police commissioner who was recently promoted to the rank of general and appointed overall Chief of Police in the coastal Benadir region due to his success in operations against al-Shabaab."
Yonas Dembele continues: "This attack comes just days after a crowded tea shop in Mogadishu came under attack. Earlier on in April 2021, two national army bases were the target. These incessant attacks have caused casualties, injury, fear and misery for many in the population. The insecurity for the tiny Christian community in the country is at an all-time high due to the continual attacks and the situation does not look likely to improve in any way."
