One of Somalia's most prominent journalists is among at least a dozen people killed in bomb attacks in the capital Mogadishu, reports say. Awil Dihar Salad, two security staff and his driver died in the first blast, a suicide car bomb at a checkpoint near the presidential palace. He had been based in Mogadishu for several years and believed the situation there was improving after years of conflict, BBC Somali reported. Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, was forced out of Mogadishu in 2011 but continues to mount regular attacks in the city. However the US has sharply increased its air strikes against the group since President Trump took power.

Source: The Star December 22, 2018 14:15 UTC