Twin car bombing claimed by al Qaeda-linked group leaves 100 dead in Somalia's capital
CBSDec 23, 2022
The Facts
Days after Somali government forces reportedly regained control of the area, al-Shabab militants allegedly attacked a military base in the country's central Galgaduud region on Monday.
Following the explosion of two suicide car bombs and hours of subsequent heavy fighting, the army was able to repulse the attack on the base that houses local and national troops in the village of Qayib.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
As al-Shabab continues its terror campaign against the people of Somalia, the government has had no choice but to enlist the help of its Western allies. In response to heinous attacks like these, the US has and must continue fighting back via troops on the ground and airstrikes from above.
Establishment-critical narrative
Before the 2006 US and UK-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia that sent the country into a death spiral, al-Shabab was a non-violent political party. In pursuit of expanding its military presence everywhere, the West — with Pres. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as its proxy — has yet again helped cause the problems it's now trying to "fix." The last thing needed is more Western meddling.
