US warns of threat to diplomatic staff in Somali capital

The United States’ diplomatic mission in Somalia has directed all non-essential staff to leave the capital Mogadishu, saying it had received a “specific threat” against its employees.

The move came a day after Washington carried out its first air strikes against Daesh militants in the country, in raids it said killed “several terrorists”.

“Due to specific threat information against US personnel on the Mogadishu International Airport, the US Mission to Somalia has directed its non-essential US citizen employees to depart Mogadishu until further notice,” said a statement.

It did not give further details.

Daesh has been gathering recruits in the region, but it remains a small player compared to the al Shabaab group.

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Last month, a group loyal to Daesh seized a small port town in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region.

The group aims to drive out international peacekeepers, topple Somalia’s Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state.

The United States has occasionally carried out strikes against al Shabaab. More than 350 people were killed in twin bombings in Mogadishu last month blamed on the group.