The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi said it had received information about threats to multiple locations in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

One of the locations identified as possible threat targets is the city’s main airport, Aden Ade International Airport, which is also the base for the African Union Mission in Somalia and several embassies, including those of the United States and other Western countries.

“All movements of U.S. Embassy personnel have been canceled on Tuesday, April 9, 2024,” the security alert said. The alert added, “The U.S. Department of State has a strong commitment to Somalia due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health concerns, kidnapping, and piracy.” Level 4 travel warning (‘Do not travel’) remains in effect.”

U.S. citizens are urged to take a number of measures to ensure their own safety, including reviewing personal safety plans and avoiding crowds, rallies, and demonstrations.

The United States has not specified where the threat comes from, but the al-Shabab militant group has been launching attacks against the Somali government, African Union forces and other countries that support Somalia.

One of the facilities that Al-Shabaab has infiltrated multiple times in the past is the Mogadishu airport. In March 2022, al-Shabaab gunmen successfully entered an area of ​​the airport and killed multiple people, including foreigners.

In February 2016, an Al-Shabaab member boarded a plane carrying a laptop bomb and attempted to shoot it down. He was the only person to die after an explosion ejected him from the plane during the flight.

Meanwhile, the Somali government said on Monday that an airstrike near the town of Haradale in Galmudug state killed more than 50 al-Shabaab militants. The state-controlled Somalia National News Agency said the operation was carried out in cooperation with “international partners”.

Voice of America has not independently verified the casualty figures given by the government.

The development comes as Somalia prepares to withdraw its troops from the African Union Transition Mission (ATMIS) by the end of the year.

As ATMIS drawdown continues, the Somali government has asked the African Union to lead a multinational force to replace the current ATMIS mission. The new multinational mission will be in Somalia for one year from January 2025.

The AU Peace and Security Council said in a statement that it welcomed the Somali federal government’s proposal for security arrangements following the implementation of the Air Traffic Management Information System in Somalia.

Somali officials declined to give further details about the makeup of the force and which countries would contribute troops. But Hussein Sheikh-Ali, national security adviser to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed, told VOA Somali in February that the mission would consist of a “streamlined multinational force” tasked with protecting Critical areas and infrastructure.