Al-Shabab attack Somalia presidential palace

Aljazeera
Monday, March 26, 2012

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At least two people killed and eight injured in radical Islamist group's third attack on Mogadishu palace in two weeks.

At least two people were killed and eight soldiers wounded after mortar rounds fired by Somalia's radical Islamist group al-Shabab toward the presidential palace landed on a nearby camp for the internally displaced, witnesses and officials have said.

Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the African Union force known as AMISOM, said some mortars hit a camp for Somalis displaced by war and famine about 300 metres from the presidential palace.

Ismail Nur, a resident of the camp, said one mortar killed two members of a single family.

"A mortar landed on our camp, a father and his son died. Eight others including three women were injured," Nur, who is a
nephew to the dead father told the Reuters news agency.

Al Shabab said they fired mortars at the heavily protected presidential compound, their third attempt to strike at the
heart of the government in two weeks.

Under pressure from African Union and Somali government troops, the al Qaeda-linked militants withdrew from Mogadishu in August prompting a return to relative calm in the capital, although they still manage to launch sporadic attacks.

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