Former Somalian lawmaker was one of AU base suicide bombers: al-Shabab

The outfit’s military operation spokesman confirms Salah Nur Ismail’s participation in the attack.

July 27, 2016 03:01 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 02:35 am IST - MOGADISHU:

A former Islamist lawmaker-turned-al-Shabab militant was one of the drivers in Tuesday’s double car bomb attack on the African Union's main peacekeeping base in Somalia, the al-Shabab said.

The militants said in a radio broadcast that Salah Nur Ismail, who joined al-Shabab in 2010, was one of those to blow himself up in the attack which killed 13 people, mainly guards from a private security firm.

In the broadcast aired late on Tuesday on the militants' radio al Andalus, Ismail, also known by the nickname of Badbaado, said in audio recorded before the attack that he would be one of the suicide bombers. Government officials were not immediately available for a comment.

Presidential poll coming

Somalia is scheduled to hold a presidential election next month and security analyst say the al-Shabab could take advantage of the distraction caused by campaigning to launch more attacks.

Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabab’s military operation spokesman, confirmed Ismail’s participation in the attack.

“Salah defected from parliament in 2010, joined us and repented and he became a martyr today,” Abu Musab told Reuters.

Asks other lawmakers to follow suit

“The current so-called Somali government lawmakers should follow suit. We are telling them to take part in the jihad via the same procedures,” the spokesman added.

Ismail, who was from Somaliland, joined parliament in 2009 as one of 275 Islamists nominated by former President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. He joined the al-Shabab the following year, accusing the government of abandoning religious principles.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.