Somalia: Mogadishu Mayor Reportedly Injured After Suicide Bomber Attacks Office

AMISOM
Mayor of Mogadishu, Abdirahman Omar Osman (file photo).
24 July 2019
allAfrica.com
By Andre van Wyk

Cape Town — Somali police have said that a suicide bomber detonated explosives in the office of Mogadishu Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman, Al Jazeera reports.

According to one of Osman's relatives, the mayor had been injured in the blast. "The blast injured many local officials including my cousin," Mohamed Abdullahi said when speaking to Reuters news agency. "The Mogadishu mayor is also injured ... A suicide bomber walked into the meeting hall and blew up himself," Abdullahi added.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Mayor Osman and his deputy sustained critical injuries, and were rushed to a hospital. Two district commissioners were among the dead. Police Colonel Mohamed Abdi confirmed the attack.

AP further reports that several people were killed during the attack and that it occurred shortly after the new United Nations envoy to Somalia, James Swan, paid a courtesy call to the mayor. It is currently unclear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor's office.

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