OIC Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim Taha expressed his condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and the Somali government and people…reports Asian Lite News
The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has strongly condemned the terrorist bombing that targeted a hotel in Jowhar, near the presidential palace of Hirshabelle State in Somalia.
The attack killed several people and wounded others, including government officials, and destroyed nearby buildings.
OIC Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim Taha expressed his condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and the Somali government and people, wishing a speedy recovery to all the injured.
He reiterated the OIC’s solidarity with Somalia in its efforts to maintain security and fight terrorism.
The UAE also condemned the terrorist attack.
Al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the bombing.
“I have never seen such devastation. I saw some dead bodies recovered from under the debris of the part of the hotel that collapsed.” Another witness, Abdirahman Shabelow, said bystanders were wounded by blast debris. “I saw two civilians struck by shrapnel some distance from the hotel… the blast sent a powerful shockwave felt in every house across town.”
Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre condemned the attack and sent his condolences to the victims’ families.
Mahad Ibrahim, a Jowhar resident, said the explosion sent shrapnel flying and clouds of smoke and dust into the air.
The force of the shockwave ripped the roof of his house, he added.
Al-Shabab has been waging a deadly insurgency in Somalia for over a decade and remains capable of executing major attacks despite a long-running African Union operation to degrade the terrorists.