The authorities in Mogadishu have been scrambling preventive measures on Thursday following a warning by the United States that an al-Shabaab attack on the Somali capital was imminent.
According to a warning to American citizens in Somalia, the US embassy in Mogadishu warned that the militant group was poised to hit a number of targets in the city including the country’s main Aden Adde International Airport.
The embassy said it has been monitoring intelligence about al-Shabaab whose fighters have stepped up their activities in some parts of Somalia in recent months including the middle of the country
Last month al-Shabaab fighters took the town of Balcad, some 30km from Mogadishu through simultaneous attacks from different directions, a new modus operandi by the group waging an Islamist insurgency in the East African country since 2006.
Although they have been dispelled from Balcad, the epicentre of their activities over the past few months remains the Hirshabelle Region where the group had carried out multiple attacks targeting towns.
They have used suicide bombings, mortar fire and conventional assault rifles targeting public places including government buildings, hotels and restaurants frequented by expatriates.
The US embassy has warned its citizens exercise utmost caution and steer clear of such places where acts of kidnapping, terrorism and piracy could be unleashed by the group.
The embassy is also encouraging American citizens to register with the Smart Traveller Enrollment Program (STEP) to keep abreast with the latest security updates.
al-Shabaab may have withstood waves of bombings by African Union forces aided by the US Africa Command in which scores of insurgents were thought to have been killed in recent months.
WN/as/APA
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