Hiiraan Online
Friday April 7, 2017
Mogadishu (HOL) - A mortar attack in southern Mogadishu has claimed the lives of three family members and injured three others on Friday, according to a security official and witnesses.
The mortar shells landed on a home in the Wadajir district, killing the mother and daughter and a third family member. A security official told HOL that he believes the mortars were intended for a checkpoint close to the home.
"Two of the dead were a mother and her daughter and all of the victims belong to the same family," said witness Awale Yasin.
No one has claimed the responsibility for the shelling, but Somali militant group al-Shabab often launches mortar attacks at government targets.
On Wednesday, a car bomb attack at a restaurant in the capital left 7 dead and wounded at least 15.
Yesterday, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo declared Somalia in a state of war against the militant extremist group Al-Shabaab and vowed to bring the fight to them. He also offered Al-Shabaab fighters a 60-day window to surrender to the government or face consequences.