US warns of possible al-Shabaab attack in Ethiopian capital
Tesfa-Alem Tekle
October 16, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – The US embassy in Ethiopia on has warned of a possible terrorist attack by the Somali militant group al-Shabaab on the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
In a statement issued on its website Wednesday, the US State Department said the embassy has received reports of al-Shabaab’s intent to launch attacks in and around Addis Ababa’s Bole district, where the international airport is situated.
While to information was provided on the exact locations of possible targeted attacks, the embassy has urged foreign national to exercise caution.
It warned that restaurants, hotels, places of worship, supermarkets and shopping malls in the Bole area should be avoided until further notice due to “a potential imminent terrorist attack”.
The statement also advised US citizens to avoid going to locations frequented by westerners, warning that such places could be at a higher risk of attack.
Several international organisations are located in Bole, which is also home to many Ethiopian officials and international diplomats.
The al-Qaeda-linked militants have repeatedly warned that it plans to carry out attacks against Ethiopia in retaliation for the country’s military intervention in Somalia.
However, the East African nation, unlike Kenya, has managed to thwart several al-Shabaab attack attempts over the past few years.
In September last year al-Shabaab gunmen carried out a high profile attack on a mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, killing at least 67 people.
Ethiopia is one of several African countries that sent troops to neighbouring Somalia to fight an insurgency led by al-Shabaab Islamists against the government.
As well as Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti and Burundi also deployed forces as part of the part of the UN-mandated African Union mission to Somalia known as AMISOM.
Ethiopia has detained dozens of members of the group, including 25 suspects arrested by security forces in June.
In October last year, Shabaab’s two suicide bombers blew themselves up while preparing their explosive device targeting to kill soccer fans during Ethiopia’s World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria.
Ethiopia authorities continue to express confidence in the capability of its security forces and intelligence agency to defend the country against foreign threats.
(ST)