Senior police officer killed in Mogadishu amidst growing trend of planned killings

A senior police officer, Colonel Adan Omar Ahmed, also known as Adan Biit, was killed in Mogadishu on Friday by gunmen. The officer was shot at a restaurant near the heavily guarded School Polizia camp.

The gunmen escaped before police arrived, and no arrests have been made so far in connection with the murder.

Local media sources reported that Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

Somali officials and leaders, including former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, condemned the attack and expressed condolences to Colonel Adan Biit’s family.

This incident is part of a worrying trend of targeted killings in Mogadishu in recent weeks. On Tuesday, another police officer, Sayid-Ali Abdi Adde, was killed at his residence in Boondheere district, allegedly by government forces. The deceased’s family members and angry protesters gathered in the capital, demanding that the government hold the perpetrators accountable. The police then shot one of the protesters, further enraging the demonstrators who were seeking justice.

In a related development on killings in Mogadishu, police announced the arrest of three suspects on Friday. These individuals are believed to be involved in the April 10th killing of student Abdullahi Abdi Isaq.

A series of planned killings and assassinations has rocked the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in recent weeks