Al Shabaab kills five in attack on Turkish road project

Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the bombing of a road construction project in Somalia that killed five people, the latest in a string of attacks targeting Turkish interests in the country.

Two Turkish citizens were among those killed when militants detonated a bomb in the village of Lafole, 13 miles south of Mogadishu, on Saturday.

The Turkish foreign ministry condemned “this heinous attack targeting the employees of a Turkish company that . . . contributes to the development and prosperity of Somalia”.

The village lies on the road between Mogadishu and Afoye. Construction of the road began in February 2019 by Enez, a Turkish company contracted by Tika, Turkey’s overseas development agency. The project is being financed by the Qatar Fund for Development, part