Somalia: Car bombing in Kismayo (Lower Juba province) August 1

Event

On Tuesday, August 1, a suicide car bomb attack occurred near a restaurant in the port city of Kismayo (Lower Juba province, Jubbaland autonomous region). At least 17 people were wounded in the attack and, according to unconfirmed media reports, five people were killed. Al-Shabaab has reportedly claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Context

The attack comes a day after the leader of Jubbaland visited newly-trained Somali forces deployed to combat Al-Shabab in the region.

Al-Shabaab, though it controls large amounts of territory in the south and center of the country, most frequently carries out attacks in the capital Mogadishu. Generally speaking, government officials and military infrastructure are most commonly targeted in a bid to topple the Western- and UN-backed government, and not civilian establishments like restaurants. 

Advice

Individuals present in the abovementioned area are advised to expect increased security measures and to monitor developments to the situation.

Due to the high threat of terrorism, individuals present throughout Somalia are advised to avoid government and institutional buildings as well as political events due to al-Shabaab's tendency to target political figures and security forces. Because of extremely poor security conditions, travel should only be considered with appropriate security precautions in place.