A suicide bombing on Sunday 10 September in the central Somalian town of Beledweyne has killed at least 6 people and wounded over 15 others, including 3 journalists.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), along with its affiliate National Union of Somali Journalists, condemned the attack and urged journalists in Somalia to operate with extreme caution when reporting in the country.
Saab TV’s Abdishakur Mohamed Hassan, RTN TV and Simba Radio’s Abdulkadir Omar Ibrahim and Jubaland TV’s Abdullahi Osman Moallim were wounded when a terrorist detonated an explosive vest and belt in Beledweyne’s Siligga restaurant in the Hiran region. Abdullahi Osman Moallim was evacuated to a Mogadishu hospital today for urgent medical attention.
NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman said:“We deplore these casualties caused by this brutal suicide bombing and encourage journalists in Beledweyne to take all the necessary precautions to carry out their duties in the safest environment.”
“This is a deplorable and barbaric act of terror”,added IFJ President, Philippe Leruth. “Our thoughts are with the families of those killed and wounded, including our 3 colleagues. We implore all journalists working in Somalia to stay as safe as possible when on assignment and we request their employers to provide them all the nececesary security training and measures.”
The Al-Qaeda linked extremist group Al-Shabaab immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the restaurant, which is located outside the Governor’s office of the Hiran region.
