MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Al-Shabaab militants who attacked Cairo Lodge in central Somalia’s Baladweyne city on Tuesday escaped in a single day after receiving reinforcements, with safety forces allegedly failing to intervene, former speaker of Hirshabelle regional parliament Osman Barre Mohamed stated on Wednesday.
The militants, who had barricaded themselves contained in the resort compound for 17 hours, left peacefully after a convoy of reinforcements arrived in two navy autos to extract them, together with two injured assailants.
Safety forces, together with members of the Nationwide Intelligence and Safety Company (NISA), reportedly withdrew because the militants escaped, elevating suspicions of collusion.
Mohamed, in an interview with Common Somali TV, accused native safety officers of aiding the militants’ escape and known as for an investigation. “Nobody stood towards them,” he stated, describing how the reinforcements opened hearth close to the resort complicated and a close-by bridge round 11:00 PM native time earlier than leaving unimpeded.
The assault, which killed three conventional leaders and navy officers, focused people mobilizing an offensive towards Al-Shabaab within the west of Hiran area. A Somali navy official confirmed the militants additionally seized weapons saved within the resort, meant for clan militias becoming a member of the deliberate operation.
Neither Al-Shabaab nor the Somali federal authorities has commented on the incident, leaving key questions unanswered concerning the safety lapse. The allegations of collusion have sparked outrage, with calls for for accountability and a radical probe into the circumstances surrounding the militants’ escape.
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