WardheerNews ( WDN) -Recent reports of the Somali president, Hassan Sh. Mohamoud, being dead or in a critical condition are greatly exaggerated.

Today, the Somali president, who has been in Turkey for the last few days, denounced the rumors of his ‘death’ as preposterous. “I am not in Turkey for health reasons only,” said the president. “I came here to visit my wife and children who live in Turkey.”

In an interview with Radio Mogadishu, the president acknowledged that he hasn’t had a medical check-up in the last five years. He had a comprehensive check-up in Istanbul and is healthy, he added. ‘I don’t even take an aspirin,” he said.

Several Somali websites have reported that the president was flown to Turkey last week for severe stress-related condition.  Some even suggested that he was in Intensive Care Unit.

James Clapper, director of national intelligence in the U.S., told the U.S. Senate last week that the Somali president had been too weak to deal with the growing unrest in his country.

The terror group Al-Shabaab has intensified its attacks on Mogadishu and especially Mohamoud’s presidential compound. Moreover, after a year of international recognition of the Somali government and promises of aid, the international community has turned cool toward Mohamoud due to allegations of corruption and political infighting in his administration.

“Those who are spreading these vicious rumors of my demise or poor health,” said the president, “are the enemies of the Somali people and supporters of Al-Shabaab.”

In a five-minute interview, the Somali president repeated the phrase “100% healthy” six times, and used the word “khal khal” (instability) ten times.

President Mohamoud stated that his short visit in Turkey is now nearing to its end. He also stated that he had ordered the prime minister and the minister of national security in investigating the source behind the rumors.

WardheerNews