The militants launched a daring attack on the Presidential Palace on July 8, 2014.

Somali officials yesterday, July 9, 2014, said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed were safe following an attack by the militant group, Al-Shabab on the Presidential Palace in the capital, Mogadishu on Tuesday, July 8, 2014.

Speaking after the attack, President Mohamud said the government would not be intimidated by Al-Shabab. Meanwhile, the government yesterday fired the Police Chief, Abdihakim Saaid and his intelligence counterpart, Bashir Gobe. Though an Al-Shabab spokesman, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, earlier claimed that 14 soldiers were killed in the raid, the Presidency later said three attackers were killed and a fourth captured.

Witnesses reported explosions and heavy gunfire in and around the presidential compound known as Villa Somalia as several gunmen stormed the gates and forced their way inside just as many Somalis were breaking their Ramadan fast. The BBC said President Mohamud was attending a function at the residence of the UN Special Envoy to Somalia near the city’s airport. A large contingent of the Somali military police accompanied him, leaving Villa Somalia mainly under the protection of African Union soldiers.

The Presidential Palace is the seat of government and many top government officials live and work there. It is one of the most heavily guarded areas in Somalia. This is the second time this year that Al-Shabab has attacked the Presidential compound. A suicide car bomb and gun attack on the site last February left at least 14 people dead. On July 5, 2014, a suicide car bomb exploded near the Parliament building, killing at least four people. The group has vowed to step up attacks during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.