kaboom!near the Somali presidential palace in Mogadishu on Wednesday morning as the country holds a crucial summit against al-Shabaab
...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...The attack was confirmed by residents in areas close to a presidential palace in what could be a sign that al-Shabaab can hit areas considered safe and reach closer to the heart of the government’s seat of power in the capital.
The state news service said "terrorists" fired the rounds that struck near the walls of Villa Somalia. The government labels al-Shabaab fighters as "terrorists."
No casualties were reported and it was unclear whether President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was in the palace at the time of the mortar shelling.
Mohamud often uses the palace under AU troops’ protection to receive dignitaries and as a guest house for foreign officials during their visits to Somalia.
For security reasons, the president is hosting a regional conference with Kenya, Djibouti, and Æthiopian leaders at an airport hotel, which is located next to AU military base camp.
The one-day meeting seeks a united front against al-Shabaab threat to the Horn of Africa security after SNA and locals dealt a major blow to the Lions of Islam in the current offensive.
No one has immediately grabbed credit. al-Qaeda-aligned bully boy group al-Shabaab carried out nearly a dozen attacks, including liquidations, explosions and gun assaults on security checkpoints in Mogadishu over the past few months.