This archive report was first published on 25 July 2019.
Published on July 25, 2019, a suicide attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, has left the city's mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, in a critical condition.
According to officials, Osman is still unconscious and will be flown to Turkey for treatment along with several others injured in the attack.
The attack occurred on Wednesday when a female suicide bomber blew herself up inside the mayor's office during a security meeting.
Al-Shabaab, a militant Islamist group, has claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was an attempt to target James Swan, the new UN special envoy to Somalia.
However, Swan had met with Osman earlier in the day and left before the blast occurred.
Swan condemned the attack, saying, "It not only demonstrates a violent disregard for the sanctity of human life, but also targets Somalis working to improve the lives of their fellow Somalis."
The victims of the attack were all government officials, and it remains unclear how the bomber managed to enter the heavily guarded building.
