The Somali government has said that Al Shabab militants have carried out a deadly attack on the country’s intelligence headquarters, killing 12 people on Sunday evening.

Local news reports quoted a senior member of the Somali government as saying that the militants blew up a car bomb and followed immediately with a gun fire on the national intelligence building in an attempt to break into the building.

Security Ministry spokesman, Mohamed Yusuf told reporters that the attack seems to be targeted at freeing dozens of detained Al Shabab militants who are being held in detention at the intelligence headquarters.

“The militants stormed the compound but did not reach the underground cells where suspected militants are being detained, it was a deadly attack that they carried out”, Mr. Yusuf was quoted as saying.

An unnamed senior official of the intelligence service department also confirmed the Security Ministry spokesman account and said the militants has suffered heavy casualties but failed to give the exact number of militants killed.

“It seems their target was to cause a mess here and thus free their militant colleagues held in the underground cells, but that did not happen, they were driven back” he was quoted as saying by the Reuters African Service.

Al Shabab has increased it attacks on key government installation sites in Somalia in recent months despite the presence of the African Union forces in the country.

In July, the presidential palace was badly damaged in a similar dangerous attacked. More than 14 soldiers were reportedly killed in that attack.

Al Shabab used to control the capital, Mogadishu and the southern region of Somalia between 2006 and 2011 but they were driven out of the capital by the African Union peacekeeping forces deployed in 2012 by the African Union with the United Nations support.

But despite the African Union forces offensive against Al Shabab, the militants still control towns and villages in the remote parts of the country. Some political analysts say Al Shabab is gradually becoming a formidable force.

Some 22,000 African Union troops are helping Somalia fight Al-Shabab. Al Shabab wants to seize Somalia and create an Islamic state.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News

Writer’s Email Address: Adamsisska@googlemail.com

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