Iran press/ Africa: In a statement attributable to UN Secretary General António Guterres Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq, the Secretary General reiterated “the support and solidarity of the United Nations with the people and Federal Government of Somalia in this endeavor”, according to UN news.
The Secretary General “sends his profound condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” said the statement.
So far, Somalian authorities have reported that at least 20 people have been killed, and 17 wounded.
The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) reported that two car bombs went off near the capital’s Sahafi Hotel on Friday afternoon. The initial explosions were followed by gunfire, all believed to be orchestrated by the takfiri terrorist group, Al-Shabab.
Somalia's security official said that some of the top officials of the Somali government were staying at Sahafi Hotel at the same time as the explosions.
In its years-long fight against the UN and internationally-backed Government, the extremist group has been targeting places where officials and security forces are frequently inhabit, such as the Sahafi Hotel.
In a Friday statement denouncing the attack, UN Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, Raisedon Zenenga, said the agency believe the terror attacks will not taint Somalia’s progress on the road to full economic and security reform.
“We join the people and the Federal Government of Somalia in condemning this act of terror in no uncertain terms, such reprehensible acts of terrorism will not in any way undermine the determination of the Somali people to pursue their state-building, economic recovery and security priorities,” she said.
UN Deputy Special Representative for Somalia added, “The United Nations and the wider international community stand with them.”
UNSOM expresses its' condolences to the families of the victims of the attack and wishes a speedy recovery for the injured.
Somalia has become a civil war scene since 1991 and has seen al-Shabaab attacks since 2007.
In August 2011, elements of al-Shabaab were thrown out of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, but the group still resides in a large part of the rural areas, attacking against government and foreign troops.
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