Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has denied a terror attack alert issued by the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu.
President Mohamud said Somalia is not in a security crisis, calling such warnings ‘propaganda’ meant to aid the Al-Shabaab group.
“Such an alert is spread by pro-Al-Shabaab militants and foreign actors. It is baseless and unfounded,” he said.
His denial follows the embassy’s warning of potential terror attacks on Mogadishu’s airport and elsewhere in Somalia.
On Friday, Turkish Airlines said it will resume flights from Mogadishu on March 10, despite suspending operations due to the alert.
Since mid-last month, Al Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked group, has attacked several military bases in the Middle Shabelle region.
The group has also killed soldiers, seized vehicles, munitions, and villages, despite ongoing airstrikes in the region.
On Friday, President Mohamud denied reports that Al Shabab had recaptured several towns lost in recent operations.
Driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, Al-Shabaab continues to carry out deadly attacks.
For over a decade, the group has been battling to impose a hardline interpretation of Sharia law in Somalia.
Al-Shabaab still controls large swaths of southern and central Somalia
