UPDATES WITH DEATH OF ONE MORE UAE TROOP; ADDS MORE DETAILS; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE
By Mohamed Dhaysane
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Defense Ministry announced Sunday that a terror attack in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu killed four Emirati troops and one Bahraini military officer.
The attack at a military camp in the Somali capital of Mogadishu was carried out by a “recruit” who opened fire on Emirati military advisors, said Somali officials.
Earlier, the UAE Defense Ministry announced that three Emirati troops and a Bahraini military officer were killed “while performing their work duties in training and qualifying the Somali Armed Forces, which falls within the bilateral agreement between the UAE and the Republic of Somalia in Framework of military cooperation between the two countries.”
The bodies of the officers – Col. Mohamed Al Mansouri, Warrant Officer 1 Mohamed Al Shamsi, Warrant Officer 1 Khalifa Al Balushi, and Corporal Suleiman Al Shehhi – were flown to Abu Dhabi where a military ceremony to receive the bodies was held.
A number of senior UAE officials, officers from the Defense Ministry and relatives attended the ceremony.
The ministry extended condolences to the families of the deceased officers and expressed its wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured.
“The UAE continues to coordinate and cooperate with the Somali government in investigating the sinful terrorist act,” it said in an earlier statement.
Condemning the “heinous” attack, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited the Erdogan Hospital, where the victims were taken, and ordered security agencies to conduct an immediate investigation.
Mohamud sent condolences to the families, people and the government of the UAE for the deaths of those "who came to Somalia to participate in rebuilding our national army."
The Al-Shabaab terror group claimed responsibility for the attack and said one of its infiltrators was behind the attack.
Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terror groups.
Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) -- a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.
The terror group has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected for a second term in 2022, declared an "all-out war" on the group.