ANOTHER CENTRAL MOGADISHU TERROR STRIKE EXPOSES SECURITY FAILURES
(Posted 26th January 2017)
Kenya’s insistence to add a layer of aviation security by forcing every plane from Mogadishu to Nairobi to land in the north eastern town of Wajir, where both aircraft and passengers must undergo an additional check before proceeding to the Kenyan capital, was yesterday morning reaffirmed following another terror strike in the Somali capital.
Airlines have pleaded with the Kenyan authorities to let flights proceed directly to Nairobi – the reverse sectors are operated nonstop – but security services have not budged and these arrangements will remain in place for the foreseeable future, not the least for the terror attack of yesterday.
Last year did a terrorist manage to smuggle a bomb allegedly hidden in a laptop on to a Daallo flight out of Mogadishu to Djibouti, showing a breach of aviation security of the highest order and repeated failings of security forces in the city of Mogadishu itself – several attacks on hotels took place since then too – goes to show that security needs improving, fast and comprehensively.
AMISOM force contributor Burundi had done the security arrangements no favour when repeatedly threatening to pull their forces out of Somalia and troops deployed in Mogadishu are often facing allegations of falling victim to complacency, resulting in Al Shabaab terrorists to get through the multiple security cordons into and across the city.
Earlier this month did Al Shabaab militants inflict damage and loss of live when attempting to get into the airport perimeter near the AMISOM headquarters while almost simultaneously staging another attack, as was reported here at the time.
https://atcnews.org/2017/01/03/mogadishu-bombings-hot-on-the-heels-of-terror-attack-in-istanbul/
At least 28 people were killed and dozens more reported wounded in the early morning attack on the Dayah Hotel, which is notably located not far from the Somali Parliament and State House. After ramming a car ladden with explosives into the gate did then a fire fight break out, claiming more victims. A second explosion was set off when crowds had gathered near the scene, again causing added casualties.
AMISOM is now challenged, following a series of such attacks on restaurants, popular parks and hotels in Mogadishu, to revamp their security arrangements and review their policy on where cordons are placed to make it at the very least much more difficult to get near hotels and shift an initial attack point away from hotel gates.
The attack also goes to show that offensive operations against Al Shabaab strongholds remaining on Somali territory must resume without further delay, shifting away from just guarding liberated areas, and, as yesterday’s attack shows, guarding them poorly.
