His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon today vowed the government would continue restoring peace and security to Somalia, despite the futile efforts of its enemies to stand in the way of progress.
Visiting the Mogadishu Courts complex and the Madina Hospital to speak to those who had been wounded in the attack, the Prime Minister repeated his condolences to the victims and said national security remained the country’s number one priority. He promised the government would be taking the fight to Al Shabaab.
“We cannot and will not let this despicable attack derail us from our programme of reform. Yesterday was a tragedy but security has been this government’s greatest priority and its greatest success. There will be absolutely no let-up on this front. I have ordered a security and intelligence investigation to understand how this happened and we are tightening security around key infrastructure.”
The Prime Minister said the latest figures were 29 dead with 58 injured. He said those killed in the terrorist attack would be honoured with a state funeral. There were seven wounded in a serious condition and the government was seeking urgent advanced medical assistance for them.
The presence of several experienced foreign fighters among the attackers was a clear demonstration that this was an international, not just a Somali conflict.
“We are concerned about the foreign involvement in this attack and this is why we are working so hard with our international partners on security and intelligence sharing. Once again we see that terrorism is an international problem. Countries with far greater resources than ours are having to face this fight.”
Calling on the public to be vigilant and cooperate with security forces, whom he praised for their effective response, the Prime Minister said Al Shabaab was at is weakest point and had been reduced from controlling most of Mogadishu to conducting sporadic guerilla operations. It was, by its own admission, in retreat and decline.
“Our enemies are suffering from a complete collapse of morale from loss of territory, loss of support and loss of fighters. Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to what Al Shabaab itself is saying. A day before the attack they published an Open Letter to Al Qaeda’s leadership – I advise anyone interested to read it. It reveals the desperate crisis they are facing and the huge internal divisions that are decimating their ranks. This letter has already been described as ‘Al Shabaab’s death certificate’.”
ENDS
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