The central prison in Mogadishu was the scene of fierce skirmishes as inmates engaged in intense clashes with prison guards, which left several dead.
An inmate reportedly seized a weapon from a prison guard, than shot him dead in a hail of bullets. That same inmate began indiscriminately opening fire on two guards, killing them instantly.
Following the encounter, three inmates said to be convicted Al Shabaab members immediately stripped weapons from the bodies of the deceased guards and began facing off with prison guards in an intense fire fight on the cell block floor.
In the midst of the clashes two large explosions occured in the vicinity of the cell block floor. Sources reveal both of these blasts where a result of hand grenades used by the Al Shabaab inmates, that where allegedly smuggled in. The manner in which the grenades where smuggled in remains a mystery at the moment.
The clashes lasted for nearly two hours before the armed Al Shabaab inmates where subdued by reinforcements. Once the smoke cleared the bodies of four Al Shabaab inmates where laying in a pool of blood, while several more prison guards where killed in the clashes and scores more wounded.
However security sources with intricate knowledge on the matter that spoke with Halgan Media on condition of anonymity confirm a high profile Al Shabaab inmate escaped during the midst of the commotion and subsequent clashes that ensued.
The senior Al Shabaab member was serving a life sentence on the same cell block floor where the clashes took place and vanished during the midst of the fire fight, sources reveal.
This latest developments have left more questions than answers. The central prison in Mogadishu is one of the most secure compounds in the war torn city and the fact that a high profile inmate can vanish without a trace has sparked widespread suspicion within the ranks of the city’s security apparatus.
The Somali government addressed the Mogadishu prison attack in a statement aired on Somali National Television (SNTV). The head of Somalia’s custodial corps, General Mahad Abdirahman stated inmates seized two guns from the guards, which sparked the deadly fire fight.
However, as expected the general avoided mentioning the grenades that where smuggled into the prison and the exact death tole, let alone address the situation surrounding the high profile inmate that vanished without a trace.
Its widely believed by Somalis both at home and abroad in the diaspora that many senior elements within the Somali government are covertly collaborating with Al Shabaab. The mysterious chain of events that unfolded during the Mogadishu prison attack further prove that notion.
Halgan Media.
Email : info@halganmedia.net
