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Suspected Al-Shabaab militants kill six people in Bula Hawa, Somalia

Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia.

By Hassan Mohamed | Monday, February 5, 2024

The motive of the attack is still unclear.

Six people were on Monday morning killed by suspected Al-Shabaab militants at Bula Hawa along the Somalia-Ethiopia-Kenya border.

Six other people are said to have been injured following the dawn attack that caused panic among the residents.

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A security source who requested anonymity said the attack seemed to have been well-planned and they suspect it was undertaken by Al-Shabaab.

“Around four or five Al-Shabaab militants were involved in the attack. They must have been monitoring the house and its inhabitants. They stormed in the wee hours of the morning when everyone was dead asleep. They dragged those they captured outside and shot them in cold blood," he said.

He said some victims managed to escape with gunshot wounds.

"The gunmen immediately fled the scene on motorbikes. Al-Shabaab was behind this attack, no one has such an audacity to kill civilians except them,” the security source said.

The motive of the attack is still unclear.

Khalif Abdi, a resident, told Eastleigh Voice that he heard gunshots and cries near his house early in the morning.

“I had gunshots which were followed by cries at around 3 am. When the day broke, I went to check and found six people had been killed. Six others had been seriously injured,” Khalif said.

Calls to the area police and local administration went unanswered.