An EUTM Somalia vehicle attacked with explosives. Three Wounded (v3)
(B2) An explosive device attack targeted an Italian EUTM Somalia vehicle on Monday (September 30). No injuries were reported, the Italian general staff initially indicated. At least at the beginning...
An attack on the way back
Late morning, around 11:15 a.m. local time, “two Lynx (Lince in Italian) multi-purpose light tactical vehicles belonging to a convoy of three Italian vehicles were involved in an explosion while returning from a training activity for Somali security forces » indicates the Italian general staff in a communicated on monday. They were returning from Villa Gashandigha, the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense and the headquarters of the Somali National Army. And to add: " At the moment there are no consequences for Italian staff. The causes of the explosion are being assessed. » Two vehicles were damaged.
« No EUTM soldiers were injured in the explosion we confirm from the side of the EUTM mission. The staff " did not fire any shots during this incident ».
A ram vehicle packed with explosives
At the Farnesina, we seem more pessimistic. " I am very worried by the explosion caused when Italian EUTM soldiers passed through Somalia declared the Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emanuela Del Re. Ditto when listening to a witness. « A vehicle loaded with explosives was thrown into one of the vehicles in the convoy along the industrial road. And there were victims ", declared Omar Abikar, a Somali security agent, quoted by AFP (1). The same day, a US special forces base in Baledogle was hit by a bomb attack followed by small arms fire, according to Reuters. Both attacks were claimed by Al Shabab.
Three wounded: two soldiers and a rifleman
(Updated) In fact, three men were injured: two soldiers and a rifleman who were repatriated to Italy. But without harm to their lives. It's the Italian Secretary of State for Defense Angelo Tofalo who spilled the beans, writing on his Facebook profile. I have " met our three boys at the Celio military hospital [….] involved in the Mogadishu attack » as the site says OFCS report. " Fortunately, they will be released in the next few days. I took them in my arms and thanked them for their great work »
Default European Confirmation
Asked by B2, a European diplomat confirmed that: “ There were no serious injuries » in this incident. Which confirms, in itself, that there were indeed three injured, contrary to what the Italian general staff and the EUTM Somalia mission had stated. According to the report updated by B2
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
Completed and updated with injury toll on 11 and 13 November
