Abdulkadir Khalif
28 September 2008
Mogadishu — A commercial plane landed in Mogadishu yesterday despite prohibition by Al-Shabaab, the Islamist group fighting the government in Somalia, against the use of Aden Abdulle International Airport.
About a dozen minutes after the plane's arrival, shells started to landing in and around the airport, admittedly fired by Al-Shabaab militia.
The mortar shells damaged several sections of the airport and at the adjacent Halane compound where African Union peacekeepers, Amisom, have their biggest camp in the Somali capital.
According to Amisom spokesman, Maj. Barigiye BaHoku, the shells did not cause human casualties, but brought about damage to a public service office at the airport and the immigration office. "This is part of the destruction of Somalia," said Maj. BaHoku.
Following the attack at the airport, artillery from pro-government forces and also suspected to be from Amisom forces, landed in parts of the city including Bakara Market, the main trading centre in Mogadishu.
At least 8 people died at Bakara and scores injured and caused mayhem to shoppers and traders. The victims included many who were roaming around the market for shopping before Idd-el-Fitri.
Pro-government forces insist that the Islamist fighters usually fire from crowded place including residential areas and market places.
Oddly enough, Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein Adde and a delegation from Djibouti arrived in Mogadishu's airport on Thursday, but the airport did not suffer from Al-Shabaab attacks, casting doubt whether the Islamists selectively attack government officials.
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