Somali president pledges war on Shabab after fatal attack

Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has vowed to step up the fight against the al-Shabab Takfiri terrorist group following the weekend truck bombing that claimed the lives of over 300 people in the capital Mogadishu.

Mohamed, better known by his nickname Farmajo, made the remarks during an address to thousands of angry protesters at a rally in Mogadishu. The people had taken to the streets in solidarity with the victims of the Saturday bombing.

The outraged protesters marched through the scene of the attack wearing red bands around their heads before gathering at a stadium where they chanted, "We are ready to fight."

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, al-Shabab, a Takfiri terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, is often behind similar deadly terrorist attacks in the conflict-stricken country.

Farmajo said the explosion "shows that we have not done enough to stop Shabab."

"If we don't respond to this now, the time will surely come when pieces of flesh from all of us are being picked up off the ground. We need to stand up together and fight al-Shabab, who continue massacring our people," the president said.

It was unclear what Farmajo planned to do to stop the Takfiri terrorists from conducting such assaults.

The attack also prompted similar protests in large towns in southern and central Somalia.

"This attack seems to have united the people because everyone is angry now and needs to fight violence, there are thousands of young men, women and children out there protesting," said a protester.

Ibrahim Mamud, another demonstrator, said, "I think the ones who have masterminded this attack will not spare anyone ... we need to stop these guys before they kill all of us.”

SS