MOGADISHU, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on Thursday declared a three-day national mourning following the death of Mogadishu mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman.
The mayor died from injuries sustained in a suicide attack at his office on July 24.
The deceased and nine of his staff sustained serious injuries after a suicide bomb was detonated within the municipal premises during a meeting at the mayor's compound, leaving six people dead and others injured.
The suicide bomber detonated explosives which were strapped on his waist after the mayor and members of his team had earlier in the day met with the UN senior envoy in Somalia to discuss progress and challenges in the capital and surrounding area.
The mayor was among patients who were flown to Qatar to receive specialized treatment. He succumbed to his injuries while still receiving treatment.
Osman, who was a former information minister, was appointed Mogadishu mayor in 2018.
The al-Qaida allied militant group al-Shabab, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said their target was James Swan, special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Somalia.
Despite being driven out of Mogadishu, the militant group still stages guerrilla-style assaults and bomb attacks in attempts to drive out AU mission's troops from Somalia and impose its harsh version of Islamic law across the Horn of Africa nation.
