More than 45 people including Al Shabaab insurgents were killed and 100 others wounded in an Iraq-style twin bombing inside a mosque in Somalia's restive capital Mogadishu, witnesses and security officials told Garowe Online.
Witnesses said the bombs went off shortly after the afternoon prayers inside the Abdalla Shideye Mosque in Bakara Market, a stronghold for the insurgent group, Al Shabaab.
"The explosions were big and occurred inside the Mosque. The place turned dark with huge black smoke everywhere the mosque. I saw several dead and injured people," said eyewitness Abdinasir Ahmed.
He added that at the time of the explosion, a senior commander of Al Shabaab named Sheikh Fuad Mohamed Shongole was delivering a sermon to the mosque's congregants.
Ali Muse of Mogadishu Ambulance Service said they have assisted "over 100" wounded people, and some are in critical condition.
Sheikh Ali Mohammed Rage, Al Shabaab's spokesman, blamed "foreign mercenaries" for the blasts.
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"We have warned you early what happened today, which are masterminded by foreign mercenaries. They are targeting worship places where Muslims congregate," he said.
In January, Al Shabaab issued a public warning that "foreign mercinaries," such as Xe (former BlackWater) and DynCorp private security firms, had arrived in Mogadishu to "carry out bombings."
Somalia's transitional federal government and African Union have both condemned the blasts, terming it a total disregard for the religion and human lives.
It is the second explosion within a week that rocked a mosque inside Bakara market, a major headquarters for Mogadishu's insurgents since 2007.
On Tuesday, two people were killed and several others wounded when a landmine went off inside Al Shabaab's Abu Hureyra mosque.
No group has claimed responsibility for the two explosions, which highlight similarities with what is happening in Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion, where mosques are frequently targeted with explosions.
However, today's mosque bombing marks the deadliest attack inside a prayer center in Somalia since the outbreak of the Horn of Africa country's civil war nearly 20 years ago.
Al Shabaab is battling to oust the fragile UN-backed Somali government from Mogadishu and to install an Islamic government.
Over 21, 000 civilians have been killed and millions others displaced since the eruption of deadly insurgency in 2007.
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Mosques and holly sanctuary bombings: A PR opportunity for the Islamists By Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh May 03, 2010 The Bakara market which has been turned in to civilian slaughter house by the AMISOM occupation forces indiscriminate bombings for years has yet to come to terms to the carnage inflicted on the innocent worshipers in the house of God in this weekend. This is the second time a mosque was targeted in the Bakara Market and at the time of this writing another bomb was detonated inside a Mosque in the port city of Kismayo (500 miles south of Mogadishu) killing one and injuring 12 others.
Leading clergy men from all regions of the country expressed their dismay about this scandalous assault and encouraged people not to abandon Gods house in fear of the crusaders terror campaign which is bound to strengthen the word of God. Emotions are running high all over the country as this amounts to attack on the last thing left in the hearts of the masses and the finger points all to one place Ethiopian intelligence, UNISOM and their pay master (USA). Mosque Explosion in Mog
This wholesale bombing of the mosque is perpetuated by Somali mercenaries who were hired and trained in explosive handling by the same occupation forces who have been running failing and expensive battles against the Islamists for some time. The TFG (their horse) is in no position, even if it wishes, to play its famous mischievous acts. Its militias are not aware of the disaster as they are fighting among themselves in Dharkinley district of Mogadishu nonstop for the past week they are always immersed in their own in-flights. The parliament and the government are about to disappear from the scene as they have their own political war over who will lead the ineffective and enlarged never was parliament. Those who cant learn from the past are doomed to repeat it
Was this mass massacre the gist of the over publicised offensive the TFG and its handlers were promising to stage in order to flush out the Islamists from Mogadishu? I hope not! But the trajectory of this new spat on Gods houses paints a different but fearful picture that has the hallmark of backfiring to the enemies of God. See Mosque Pictures - killing in the Gods house.
Abu Huriera Mosque in the Bakara market was attacked a week ago with a land mine which killed one worshiper and injured some. The target at the time was Sheikh Aweys-the Hisbu Islam leader- who was reading his prayers along with the local worshipers in the Mosque. This act failed to raise eye brows as it was confined to the gate of the Mosque and most of the people at the time blamed the old unexploded ordinance, often from AMISOM shells, as they cant comprehend that a Mu slim Somali person will ever contemplate of bombing the house of God.
Targeted assassination is not new to Mogadishu but turning inside out a whole community is a new foreign phenomenon which contrasts badly with the Somali culture. Sheikh Faud Khalaf, a high ranking Alshabab commander, was certainly the sole goal of this mass slaughter. The operation was not the work of immature but that of trained professionals as it was planned meticulously to wreak the maximum damage to all worshipers. The first explosion, of the twin explosions, occurred in the first floor and the second one, planted in the ground floor, was delayed a bit to maim the scrambling and confused worshipers on their way to the exit as a goodbye gesture.
There was strong roamer for the last two months in Mogadishu that the Ethiopian intelligence with the help of the CIA has trained a force of around 100 strong in explosives to be used to target Islamist leaders and some others they deem as undesirables and this weekends atrocity is lending credibility to the fear they chose the explosive teams as financially more attractive than Drones and other military operations that require expensive hardware. The select teams first operations helped the image of the Islamists at a time the 2006 warlords are building notorious militia, under the name of Ahlu Sunna, to rerun their failed cantonization paradigm of Mogadishu. Al Shabab Press Conference
Sheikh Faud Khalaf who survived the attack, surrounded by multitude of admirers, held press conference in Mogadishu Bakara market today. The sheikh took advantage of this sought after press conference to inoculate in to the psyche of the masses who their real enemy is? The sheikh blamed an American security company based in Halane(Ex- Somali military training facility) to have been behind this barbaric action and asked the people to join the Jihad in massive numbers as Islam is under attack. The people who happen to live under the daily bombardments of AMISOM and who most certainly have lost so many of their relatives and parents to the indiscriminate AMISOM shelling were chanting Takbir in unison all the time during the short speech of the Sheikh. The sheikh also pleaded to the Somalis in the Diaspora to donate as much as they can for the noble cause of the countrys defence against the domination of the west America and its stooge Tigryan regime. The Sheikhs only lament, reserved in his conclusion, was the fact that he was not lucky enough to be among the martyrs who he said are with God Watch the Video Conclusion To bow the will of the nation is hard
In conclusion this act of terrorism that has put to shame all that had happened in Somalia for the past two decades arrived at a time the Islamists were craving more than ever a stunt to attract the attention of the nation. This dreadful act which is seen to have been conducted by the enemies of the nation failed in a big way and is bound to generate both financial and manpower to the coffers and ranks of the Islamists.
The Islamists are taking over these days, district after district, of whatever is left of the Galguduud region, after Ahlu Sunna melted down as a consequence of the kiss of death of Mele Sanawi of Ethiopia. They are gaining territories most often without a fight and thus require foot soldiers to maintain their new achievements and this act looks as if it is a just in time answered prayer. They took over Harar Dheere, the heaven of the pirates, today without a fight this shows whose side are the masses. The pirates moved their hostage ships and crew to Hobyo(70 miles) up the coast which will itself fall soon into the hands of the Islamists.
Gods hand seems to be at work as the evil projects of the Tigrayan regime of Ethiopia is falling apart one after the other like a house of cards 1. TFG (17th of its kind) ended up in failure. 2. Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama (central region) war lords melted away and as a last resort funnelled some of their fighters to strengthen their traditional 2006 area of influence in Mogadishu (KM4 to Hodan). Their fighters should have taken positions in Shibis and Monopoliyo district if the TFG is at all alive but this is a race for bargaining positions as the TFG is locally consigned to the past. 3. Ahlu Sunna Mogadishu wing run by 2006 war lords (Qanyare, Yalaxow, Maxamud Dheere, Bashir Rage and etc) is not an option but utter disaster which will further strengthen the disciplined Islamists. The war between the TFG tribal militias in Dharkinley district is a war in which the warlords are securing their respective enclaves.
It is the yesteryears experiment and will yield the same or even worse outcome at least the warlords escaped with their life but time will tell if they spare their skin once more.
Abdikarim buh Political analyst and WardheerNews contributer E-mail:abdikarimbuh@yahoo.com