MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Explosions and heavy gunfire erupted near Somalia’ s presidential palace on Saturday in an attack by a militant group targeting a major prison just hours after the federal government lifted roadblocks in place for years in the capital.
Residents in the central Mogadishu district of Bondhere reported hearing explosions and gunfire and seeing smoke billowing from the prison, which also serves as the headquarters for the regional intelligence unit.
A resident, Hibo Mohamed, told The Associated Press by phone, “We are truly scared. The city had been calm for months, but now everyone feels anxious once more.”
The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group, which is based in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had released prisoners.
The government did not immediately comment on the attack, and phone calls and messages to officials went unanswered Saturday.
Somalia’s state media reported that the militants used a vehicle disguised to resemble those of the intelligence unit’s security forces, and that soldiers repelled the attack and killed several militants.
The attack targeted the Godka Jilacow prison, which was previously attacked in 2014 when al-Shabab militants set off a suicide car bomb at the gate before storming the compound in an attempt to free detainees. Somali forces repelled the attackers in that assault, but at least a dozen people were killed.
Saturday’s attack came just hours after the federal government lifted several long-standing roadblocks in Mogadishu. The barriers had been in place for years to safeguard critical government sites, but many residents argued that they obstructed traffic and commerce.
Security forces promptly cordoned off the roads leading to the scene, while ambulances hurried to the area. The number of casualties was not immediately clear.
Mogadishu had been relatively calm in recent months as government forces, backed by local militias and African Union troops, have pushed al-Shabab fighters out of several areas in central and southern Somalia.
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