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MOGADISHU, Somalia
A family of seven, including four children, was killed in what is believed to be an al-Shabaab attack in Somalia, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
Gunmen attacked a remote village in Wajid district in southwestern Somalia’s Bakool region on Tuesday night.
It wasn’t until Wednesday that authorities were able to reach the remote area and confirm the attack. County officials blame the Somalia-based al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab group, which is said to have targeted the family because the father was a federal soldier.
“I extend my condolences to the Somali family for the loss of their lives at Al Shabaab in Wajid district last night,” Justice Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur Jama told the Hagaag News in condemning the attack.
“Killing a pregnant mother and her children is only possible from the unscrupulous Al Shabaab. I wish the family, relatives and all the people of Wajid patience and faith, ”he said.
Residents in southwestern Somalia were shocked by the attack and demanded justice for the family while sharing photos of the scene on social media.
In recent days, al-Shabaab militants stepped up attacks on security forces as African Union Mission Forces and Somalia National Army soldiers continue to drive the group out of the strongholds in successive military operations.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for recent attacks on civilians and security forces in the Horn of Africa nation.
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