A day after the al Qaeda-linked militants vowed retaliation for the death of a previous leader, Somalia replaced its national security director on Sunday and put its army on alert for retaliation, according to Reuters.
According to a Somali police officer, mortar shells have struck a Mogadishu neighborhood and wounded five residents, The Associated Press reported. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Al-Shabab militants named Ahmad Umar, also known as Abu Ubaidah, their new leader after Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a U.S. airstrike on Monday, according to the AP. Godane had raised al Shabaab's profile with bombings and suicide attacks in Somalia, Kenya and Uganda.
Al Shabaab's name means "The Youth," and the group's purpose is to force a stricter version of Islam, the AP reported. It controlled Mogadishu and the southern region of Somalia from 2006 until 2011 until they were pushed back by AU forces.
Current National Security Director Abdullahi Mohamed Ali had only been in his post since July, Reuters reported.
Government spokesman Ridwan Abdiweli gave no explanation during an announcement after a cabinet meeting but said Ali's deputy would stand in for him, according to Reuters.
Abdiweli said the defense and security ministers had called for "particular vigilance" following Godane's death, Reuters reported.
National Security Minister General Khalif Ahmed Ereg said during a speech broadcast on radio and television on Saturday that the government was preparing for possible attacks on hospitals or schools and that the armed forces are on high alert, according to Reuters.
Somali forces and African Union peacekeepers have been fighting against al Shabaab this year after more gun and bomb attacks began to occur in the Mogadishu area, targeting legislators and the presidential palace, Reuters reported.
Western governments and neighboring countries say the group has exploited Somalia's chaos to attract jihadists from abroad and train them to fight and want to "neutralize" al Shabaab, according to Reuters.
