Somali central prison chief suspended, inquiry launched after foiled militant jailbreak in Mogadishu

The Chief of the Somali Correctional Forces, Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Adan, suspended Somalia central prison chief Brigadier General Dahir Abdulle Rageh and initiated an investigation following a jailbreak attempt by militant inmates on July 13.

A decree from Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Adan's office has appointed an eight-member committee to investigate the incident. Gen. Mohamed Hussein Ahmed was appointed the acting prison chief and will lead the investigation.

Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Adan also appointed General Mohamed Hussein Ahmed as the acting commander of the Central Prison during the ongoing investigation related to Saturday's attack.

Somali security forces foiled an attempted jailbreak in Mogadishu's main central prison after militant inmates, using pistols and hand grenades, attacked prison guards. The militant inmates fired on the guards and threw hand grenades before an exchange of heavy gunfire. It is believed the weapons were smuggled into the prison.

A spokesperson for the Somali Custodial Corps, Abdiqani Mohamed Khalaf, told reporters in Mogadishu that three prison guards were killed, and three others were injured in the attack. Khalaf also confirmed that five militants were killed and 18 were injured.

All five inmates who were fatally shot had been convicted of involvement in militant bombings and smuggling explosives in Mogadishu. Four of them were on death row, and the fifth inmate was serving a life sentence.