A former Prime Minister of Somalia’s Transitional National Government (TNG), Dr Ali Khalif Galaydh, was among the survivors of the Saturday terror attack in Kenya, the Africa Review has established.
S
omali militants Al-Shabaab have claimed responsibility for the Saturday attack at Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, that has so far claimed 62 lives.
Talking to the local media and the BBC Somali Service on Monday, Dr Galaydh said that he was at the shopping centre at the time armed people started shooting indiscriminately.
“Three of us were sitting in a cafeteria at Westgate,” said the former premier who served TNG in 2000/2001, while Dr Abdiqassim Salad Hassan was the president.
He added: “It was close to midday when fire and grenade attack started.”
Dr Galaydh named his companions as Mr Bur’ee Mohamed Hamza, a Somali legislator and a man from Burundi named as Fred, described as a member of the political section of the African Union Mission in Somalia, Amisom.
“People deserted the place instantaneously,” said the former PM, adding that he had to hide first under a table.
“I crawled under a staircase when the shooting subsided,” added Dr Galaydh.
He said he remained in the place for nearly an hour before being rescued.
Earlier reports reaching Mogadishu confirmed that a Somali national, Mr Yassin Hersi, was killed in the Saturday strike.
His wife reportedly survived the assault.
Source:africareview.com
Leave a Reply