Aweys Osman Yusuf
Mogadishu 05, Feb.07 ( Sh.M.Network) - Mortar rounds and rockets have rained down around Mogadishu international seaport after mid night. At least six rockets were targeted at the seaport by unknown gunmen.
Witness reported that the incident did happen at 3:45 am local time when everyone in Mogadishu was asleep at the time.
No casualties have been reported.
Residents near the seaport said heavy exchanges of automatic gunfire followed the mortar attacks. The rocket attacks came as a fuel tanker docket at the port, unloading barrels of patrol and diesel.
As usual, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The government blames remnants of the defeated Islamists in the capital Mogadishu.
The secular government raised suspicion in the deadly nightly attacks against the government and Ethiopian military bases.
During a speech delivery to the transitional parliament, which elected a new speaker, President Abdullahi Yusuf said members of the government are also to blame for the attacks against the government positions in Mogadishu.
He said, “There are at least 21 parliamentarians in Djibouti. They oppose the government,” urging the present parliamentarians to work honestly with the new speaker, Sheik Aden Mohammed Nour Madobe who replaced the influential speaker Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden.
On 17 January, the parliament ousted speaker Aden for opposing the Ethiopian military intervention in the country and for sponsoring reconciliation talks between the routed Union of Islamic Courts and the transitional government that seized most of the country, including the capital, in late December with the help of Ethiopian military troops in the country.
In the past two weeks dozens of people including police officers were lynched in the capital after unknown gunmen launched “hit and run” attacks using mortars and rockets.
The police have withdrawn from the streets of Mogadishu after gunmen repeatedly attacked and killed several police officers. The government that has not the military capability to curb the wide spread insecurity is urging the African countries to hasten the deployment of peacekeeping mission in the country.
AU delegation arrived in the capital on Saturday to evaluate the general state of the capital, touring the airport, seaport and military compounds in Mogadishu and southern provinces of the country to appraise the proper strategic positions for the first contingents of Ugandan troops that are expected to arrive in Somalia in three weeks.
The police force at the seaport has demolished kiosks outside the port on Monday morning to tighten the security around it.
The government has not commented on the second heaviest mortar attacks on the port yet.
www.shabelle.net
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment