Monday February 27, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - According to eyewitnesses, on Sunday night, armed gunmen entered a small shop at the Fagax intersection in Mogadishu and shot and killed two young men while injuring two others.
The shop is rumoured to have been involved in drug trafficking. As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, has threatened to launch new operations in Mogadishu to combat drug traffickers and youth gangs.
On Monday morning, the group claimed responsibility for destroying a warehouse on the outskirts of Mogadishu that stored various types of drugs, including hashish, alcohol, and tobacco.
They also claimed to be searching for the shop owner, Madahey Yusuf Addow, whom they have accused of being one of Mogadishu's leading drug dealers.
In addition, al-Shabaab claimed to have killed an alleged main drug smuggler in Mogadishu's Tabelaha Sheikh Ibrahim neighbourhood on Sunday night.
The police department did not provide any comments regarding al-Shabaab's reported operations.
The Somali government has publicly committed to fighting against drug smuggling and youth gangs, which are reportedly on the rise in the capital city.