At least eight people were killed on Wednesday and eleven were injured in an attack by the Somali jihadist group Al Shabab on the international airport in Mogadishu, the country's capital, which in turn houses a compound with UN offices, the local police confirmed to the news agency Efe.
“I am witnessing the fire, smoke comes out of the shops (...). There are dead and wounded who have been taken to the hospital,” police officer Mohamed Adam, who witnessed the attack, told Efe.
“The attack resulted in the deaths of eight people, including two policemen, one military from AMISOM (the African Union Mission in Somalia) and five civilians,” said Adam.
Somali security forces repelled the attack, killing two of the assailants, police commander General Abdi Hassan Hijar told the Somali news agency.
The attackers, armed with guns and grenades, posed as airport employees when they launched the attack, the police commander added.
The two assailants attempted to enter a military base located inside Mogadishu's Aden Abdulle International Airport, but were blocked, said Senior Police Spokesman Abdifitah Adan. Three policemen were injured, he added.
The Islamist group Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the fact, stating that its fighters managed to penetrate a complex where several diplomatic missions are located.
A dense column of black smoke emanated from the place where a stray bullet hit a fuel tank, told the news agency AP Awil Abdi, a witness to the incident.
All flights, both domestic and international, were suspended after the attack, the airport said in a statement.
Al-Shabab often carries out deadly attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia. The rebels wish to impose strict Islamic Sharia law, oppose the government of Mogadishu and the presence of international peace forces.
(With information from EFE and AP)
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