Militants Storm Presidential Palace in Somalia

al-Shabab has vowed to step up attacks in Mogadishu
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 8, 2014 12:51 PM CDT
Militants Storm Presidential Palace in Somalia
Somali soldiers stand near the wreckage of a suicide car bomb near the Somali parliament in Mogadishu on July 5.   (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Militants have stormed the presidential palace in Mogadishu, though the BBC reports that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is not there today. A police official said the attack started when a car bomb exploded outside the presidential complex. Gunmen then entered the palace, their entry apparently made easier because many members of the military police were traveling with Mohamud. A firefight is still ongoing. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which lost control of the Somalian capital in 2011, has vowed to step up attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (More al-Shabab stories.)

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