Suicide Car Bomb Blast Claims Four Lives in Central Somalia

BELEDWEYNE, Somalia — Al-Shabaab extremists unleashed a deadly car bomb in Beledweyne, a town nestled in the Hiiran region, claiming at least four lives on a day meant for independence celebrations in this Horn of Africa nation.

Reports indicate the explosion homed in on a military installation in central Somalia where the Somali National Army (SNA) fiercely battles the al-Shabaab insurgency. The group swiftly claimed responsibility for the assault.

The SNA is stepping up to assume security duties from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). Per the Somali Transition Plan (STP), ATMIS soldiers have started their exit. Just last month, nearly 4,000 ATMIS troops withdrew.

By December 2024, approximately 9,000 of the original 22,000 soldiers will have left. The Somali government has floated a scheme for a local mission to take over, which might include a handful of foreign troops.

Hussein Sheikh Ali, the presidential advisor on national security, mentioned the new mission will exclude Ethiopian forces, some alleged to have encroached illegally. Ethiopia faces allegations of breaching Somalia’s territorial integrity.

However, diplomatic dialogues might begin in Turkey between Ethiopia and Somalia post Ethiopia’s agreement with North Western of Somalia, Somalia’s self-declared autonomous region. Multiple sources confirm the discussions have yet to commence formally.

The al-Shabaab faction fights to dethrone Somalia’s fragile, UN-supported federal government but faces stiff resistance. The militants straddle significant portions of rural central and southern regions.

Nonetheless, operations over the past two years have heavily crippled them, reclaiming key territories. Although al-Shabaab hinted at negotiating with the government, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration remains unresponsive.

AXADLETM