Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based Islamic jihadist group, besieged a hotel in Mogadishu on Friday, 19 August.
Following 30 hours of violence, including gunfights with police and explosions, the al-Qaeda-affiliated group finally retreated. As of Sunday 21 August, the official death toll had climbed to 21. According to the Somali Ministry of Health, more than 117 people were wounded in the siege.
This attack is the biggest in Mogadishu since the June inauguration of Somalia’s new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. It is a discouraging setback to the efforts to stop the spread of Islamic jihadism in the region. Al-Shabaab poses a considerable threat to Christians in both Somalia and surrounding countries, especially Kenya. Christian communities in Kenya, which shares a border with Somalia, are frequently targeted when al-Shabaab militants make excursions into Kenyan territory.
Pray for the families of the victims of the Mogadishu hotel bombing. Pray for those recovering from their injuries.
Pray for the courage and strengthening of other Christian communities who are suffering from persecution in Kenya.
Pray for Front-Line Workers in northern Kenya who are under continual threat of attack.
Source: International Christian Concern, Voice of the Martyrs AU
ความคิดเห็น