(MENAFN) Somali security forces successfully thwarted a six-hour attack by Al-Shabaab militants on Godka Jilacow prison, a high-security facility located near Mogadishu’s presidential palace. Authorities confirmed late Sunday that all seven assailants were killed during the assault.

The incident, which took place Saturday evening, involved explosions and heavy gunfire near the facility, managed by Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). Reports indicate the attackers posed as security personnel, using a pickup truck painted in official colors and wearing military-style uniforms to breach the prison, which houses detainees linked to terrorism and organized crime.

The raid followed the recent removal of long-standing roadblocks in Mogadishu, which, while intended to protect key government sites, had been criticized by locals for limiting movement and impacting businesses.

Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, continues to conduct raids, bombings, and targeted killings to destabilize Somalia and the broader region. In August, joint operations between Somali forces and the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) killed more than 50 militants in Bariire, southwest of the capital. Separately, the Somali regions of Somaliland and Puntland recently signed a security cooperation agreement in Nairobi to strengthen collaboration against the insurgents.

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