African Union peacekeepers attacked in Mogadishu

Peacekeeper troops of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) were attacked in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, Garowe Online reported citing the residents.

An explosion by a roadside bomb hit a military convoy carrying African Union peacekeepers at SOS junction in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

According to some reports, the troops opened fire immediately after the explosion.

The reports of anyone being injured were not immediately available.

No group immediately took the responsibility of the attack but such as attacks are often carried out by Al Shabaab.

Al-Shabaab in the southern part of Somalia routinely targets AU forces and government bases.

Al Shabaab, meaning “The Youth” in Arabic, is the largest militant organization fighting to oust the Somali government and the foreign military presence supporting it.

The outfit emerged as an independent organization around December 2006 after breaking away from the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), for which it had served as the military wing.

Since the late 2000s, Al Shabaab has had close ties to Al Qaeda and has sought to frame the Somali struggle as part of a global jihadist movement.

Al-Shabaab has been designated as a terrorist organization by Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

As of June 2012, the US State Department has open bounties on several of the group's senior commanders.

Roadside bomb hits a military convoy carrying #AU peacekeepers at SOS junction in #Mogadishu, the #Somali capital - residents.

— Garowe Online (@radiogarowe) September 29, 2019