Somalia: Complex Attack on Mogadishu Courthouse

On April 14, Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab attacked the Mogadishu courthouse, located in the city's government sector, with vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers and gunmen. While al Shabaab conducts bombings and targeted killings frequently in Mogadishu, this latest attack was larger and more sophisticated than those carried out previously by the group. The capabilities demonstrated are not new, but a persistent ability to combine them into a strike force that can hit successfully within the government sector of the capital could undermine the Somali government's efforts to govern and secure the city. This would decrease confidence in the government and empower al Shabaab.