In late 2013, al-Shabaab carried out two major

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

attacks in

Beledweyne Beledweyne ( so, Beledweyne, ar, بلد وين, it, Belet Uen) is a city in central Somalia. Beledweyne District is the capital city of the Hiran region. The city is situated in the Shebelle Valley riverine near the Ethiopian border, 210 miles ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, killing 35 people.

Background

The Islamist group al-Shabaab began their

insurgency An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregu ...

in the 2000s. Previous actions by al-Shabaab in Beledweyne, Hiran,

Hirshabelle State Hirshabelle, officially Hirshabelle State of Somalia ( Somali: ''Dowlad Goboleedka Hirshabelle ee Soomaaliya''), is a Federal Member State in south-central Somalia. It is bordered by Galmudug state of Somalia to the north, South West State ...

, included a suicide

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...

ing in 2009 which killed 57 people at a hotel as well as battles in 2010 and 2011.

October bombing

At 11am on 19 October 2013 in Beledweyne, a suicide bomber wearing an

explosive belt An explosive belt (also called suicide belt or a suicide vest) is an improvised explosive device, a belt or a vest packed with explosives and armed with a detonator, worn by suicide bombers. Explosive belts are usually packed with ball bearings, ...

detonate Detonation () is a type of combustion involving a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations propagate supersonically through shock waves with s ...

d it inside a crowded restaurant, killing 16 people. On the same day, al-Shabaab claimed responsibility, saying their main target was Djiboutian and Ethiopian troops who were part of the

African Union Mission to Somalia The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, imple ...

. Some AU soldiers were killed, but most of those killed were

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

November attack

At 11am on 19 November 2013 in Beledweyne, a suicide car bomber rammed a

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, al ...

. Gunmen then stormed the building and shot people inside. At least 19 people were killed. On the same day, al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beledweyne attacks, 2013 2013 murders in Somalia 2010s building bombings 2013 mass shootings in Africa 2010s vehicular rampage 21st-century mass murder in Somalia Al-Shabaab (militant group) attacks Attacks on buildings and structures in 2013 Attacks on police stations in the 2010s Attacks on restaurants in Africa 2013 attacks Building bombings in Somalia Car and truck bombings in the 2010s Islamic terrorist incidents in 2013 Mass murder in 2013 Mass shootings in Somalia November 2013 crimes November 2013 events in Africa October 2013 crimes October 2013 events in Africa Somali Civil War (2009–present) Suicide bombings in 2013 Suicide car and truck bombings in Somalia Terrorist incidents in Somalia in 2013 Vehicular rampage in Africa Attacks in Africa in 2013

Background

October bombing

November attack

See also

References