Al-Shabaab frequently launches explosive and gun attacks on civilians and military infrastructure in an attempt to destabilize the Somali government and establish its own rule. The group was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 by an African Union peacekeeping force, but it still controls some areas in the southern and central regions of the country.

A roadside bomb near Somalia's presidential palace targeted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's convoy. The al-Shabab militant group, opposing the federal government, claimed responsibility. While the president remained unharmed,

Al Shabaab militants targeted Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a bomb attack on his motorcade as it travelled through the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday.