7 killed in Mogadishu blast targeting senior police chief
Police officers patrol by the wreckage of a car at the scene of suicide car bomb attack that targeted the city's police commissioner in Mogadishu, on July 10, 2021.
What you need to know:
- A witness said the convoy of Colonel Qarole was passing near the busy Banadir junction at 10.30 am when a car packed with massive explosive materials headed towards the entourage but missed the target.
Mogadishu,
At least seven people were killed and 10 injured in a suicide car bombing attack targeting a senior police chief in Somalia capital, Mogadishu, on Saturday, police and witnesses said.
A police officer, who declined to be named, told Xinhua that the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeted the vehicle of Mogadishu police commander Frahan Mohamoud Qarole at Banadir junction.
A witness said the convoy was passing near the busy junction at 10.30 am when a car packed with massive explosive materials headed towards the entourage but missed the target.
Somali police spokesman Sadik Aden said that at the time of the attack, the convoy was travelling between Banadir and Medina hospitals.
"The commissioner is unharmed but there are other casualties the attack inflicted," said the spokesman.
Col Qarole recently replaced General Sadaq Omar Hassan alias Sadaq John, who was sacked in April, when he issued a controversial order trying to prevent the legislators of the Lower House of the Parliament against holding a session in Mogadishu.
Medical workers carry the body of a civilian killed in a suicide car bomb attack that targeted the city's police commissioner, on July 10, 2021, in Mogadishu.
Huge impact
The impact of the deadly explosion destroyed several buildings nearby.
Among those affected were small businesses and Banadir Hospital, the largest referral facility for women and children in Mogadishu.
Medina Hospital is the largest referral medical facility serving the police force in Mogadishu.
Authorities released a statement saying, “An attack orchestrated by terrorists, using a vehicle filled with explosive materials, targeted the commander of the police force in Mogadishu, Colonel Farhan Mohamoud. The commander is safe although the explosion has had effects on businesses in the area of the assault.”
The statement added, “In Mogadishu, the terrorists cannot discourage anybody from rendering service to his (or her) people.”
The incident also caused a huge traffic snarl-up on Mogadishu’s streets as photos and a plume of black smoke from the scene indicated the explosion was huge.
