A witness says a auto bomb blast outside a restaurant in the Somali capital has killed at least five people.
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Al Shabaab, whose name means ‘The Youth, ‘ seeks to impose its strict version of sharia law in Somalia, where it frequently unleashes attacks targeting security and government targets, as well as hotels and restaurants in the capital.
The attack came as two members of Shabaab were executed by firing squad Saturday for the murder of a journalist killed by a vehicle bomb a year ago, a judge said.
Since 2007, more than 25 journalists have been killed in Somalia, arguably one of the world’s most unsafe and failed states.
Hanafi was arrested in August 2014 in Kenya and extradited to Somalia late that year.
A native of Somalia’s south-central Hiran region, Hanafi was the flawless liaison between the al-Shabab terrorist group and Mogadishu’s journalist community because he himself was once a respected reporter. Al-Shabab rebels, warlords, criminals, and even government agents all could have reasons.
Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP A firing squad lines up to execute Hassan Hanafi Haji.
He often urged journalists to report according to al-Shabab’s media rules, which included avoiding stories related to the group’s military setbacks.
Hassan Hanafi Haji, who used to arrange for media briefings by the insurgents in the capital, was shot in Mogadishu following his recent sentence by the country’s military court.
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Mohamed who worked for the Somali national television, SNTV was killed in December 3, 2015 when her auto blew up as she returned home from a university class in Mogadishu.
