In the early hours of this morning, multiple mortar shells were fired into parts of Wadajir district in Mogadishu, with some of the projectiles reportedly landing inside the Xalane compound — the headquarters of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS, formerly AMISOM). The base is located within the secured perimeter of Aden Adde International Airport.
Eyewitnesses near the airport told local media they heard up to four loud explosions in quick succession around the Aden Adde Airport area.
In total, six mortar impacts were reported, although the exact landing sites of two of them remain unconfirmed. As of now, no official details have been released regarding casualties or the full extent of the damage caused by the attack on Halane.
Shortly after the shelling, the militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility through its online propaganda platforms, stating it had targeted the Halane base in the coordinated mortar attack.
Neither Somalia’s federal security agencies nor the ATMIS command has issued a public statement concerning the incident, including whether any personnel or infrastructure were affected.
This latest attack adds to a series of similar mortar assaults carried out by Al-Shabaab this year, targeting both the Halane compound and the vicinity of Somalia’s Presidential Palace.
