MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Hassan Abdulkadir, the former internal security minister of Southwest State and a key figure behind Laftagaren’s forces, escaped unharmed from an alleged Turkish drone strike on Wednesday night, as his forces continued to consolidate their hold over much of the Bay region wrested from the federal government.
Local media reports said two members of Laftagaren’s forces were killed when their motorcycle was struck. Abdulkadir and Mustafa Qoomaal, a military figure affiliated with the forces, survived unscathed.
It remains unclear whether the strike was intended to assassinate Abdulkadir, who is believed to be the principal strategist behind the guerrilla campaign waged by Laftagaren’s forces since the former regional president was ousted in a federal government offensive in March.
Abdulkadir has made appearances in most of the towns recently recaptured by Laftagaren’s forces, including Qansah-dhere, Burhakabo and Dinsor.
The strike marks the second air raid on a Somali opposition politician. On September 3, Gen. Mahad Abdirahman, a former chief of the Somali Custodial Corps, was injured but survived an F-16 airstrike on his home in Dolow, near the Ethiopian border.
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