Somalia’s cabinet approved new legislation aimed at curbing the menace of terrorism in the country and

Somalia’s cabinet approved new legislation aimed at curbing the menace of terrorism in the country and giving special powers to security forces. The bill submitted by the Ministry of national security was unanimously passed in a high-level ministerial meeting chaired by Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid in Mogadishu. According to a press statement from the Prime minister’s office, the new bill is aimed to empower law enforcement agencies in the country to effectively handle terror-related cases immediately. The move comes one week after Al-Shabaab militants launched a deadly attack on a Mogadishu hotel, leaving at least 20 people – including a top diplomat – dead. Anti-terror law was first introduced by the former cabinet in 2014 but it failed to proceed to the country’s parliament for approval. If passed by the Parliament, the law is expected to target groups such as the al-Qaeda-linked militant Al-Shabaab.