Somali minister escapes alleged assassination attempt

Somalia Foreign Minister Abdisaid Muse Ali, declared he had survived an assassination attempt involving regional government forces in the central city of Galkayo, north-eastern state of Puntland.

Mr Ali tweeted late on Thursday that he was on holiday in the town of Galkayo when a regional police commander of the separatist Puntland region ordered local security forces “to attack us”.

The incident, according to local media, left one bodyguard killed and others injured.
The minister said the attack happened when his family was having iftar organized by a local traditional elder.

He said on his twitter page “I strongly condemn violence as a means to [achieve] political ends and will hold all involved accountable by all means necessary,”

Puntland deputy leader Ahmed Karash also condemned the incident and pledged an investigation. The attack came amid political tensions with security challenges resulting from internal conflicts and a host of incessant attacks by alshabaab group in the region.