Suicide bomber was former Somali MP: Shabaab group

TIL Desk/World/Mogadishu-A former Somali MP who joined the Shabaab group in 2010 was one of two suicide bombers who killed 13 people near a United Nations and African Union base, the militants announced today.

Car bombs driven by suicide attackers exploded yesterday morning near Mogadishu’s airport, one of which went off 200 metres from the base, killing mainly security staff. Salah Badbado, 53, served in Somalia’s parliament from 2004 until 2010, when he declared at a press conference he was leaving politics to join the Somali al-Qaeda affiliate.

“Salah Nuh Ismail known as Salah Badbado was among the braves who have carried out the attack on Halane military base,” the group said in statement released on the Telegram app and their radio station.