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| Abdirahman Omar Osman, Mogadishu mayor, dies after suicide bombing | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu has died a week after being wounded in a suicide attack that killed at least six other people. | The mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu has died a week after being wounded in a suicide attack that killed at least six other people. |
| The female bomber blew herself up inside the office of Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman during a security meeting. | The female bomber blew herself up inside the office of Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman during a security meeting. |
| Mr Osman, who fled to the UK during the civil war in the 1990s, became a councillor in London before returning in 2008 to help rebuild Somalia. | Mr Osman, who fled to the UK during the civil war in the 1990s, became a councillor in London before returning in 2008 to help rebuild Somalia. |
| Militant Islamist group al-Shabab said it carried out the attack. | Militant Islamist group al-Shabab said it carried out the attack. |
| The mayor died in Doha, Qatar, where he was receiving treatment. | The mayor died in Doha, Qatar, where he was receiving treatment. |
| Al-Shabab's apparent target was the new UN special envoy to Somalia, James Swan, a US citizen. He had already left the building after meeting the mayor on 24 July. | Al-Shabab's apparent target was the new UN special envoy to Somalia, James Swan, a US citizen. He had already left the building after meeting the mayor on 24 July. |
| It is unclear how the bomber managed to enter the heavily guarded offices. | It is unclear how the bomber managed to enter the heavily guarded offices. |
| Other victims included high-ranking local officials. | Other victims included high-ranking local officials. |
| Who was the mayor? | Who was the mayor? |
| Mr Osman fled Somalia in the early 1990s as a refugee, before achieving a postgraduate degree and UK citizenship. He also served as a councillor for the centre-left Labour Party in the London borough of Ealing. | Mr Osman fled Somalia in the early 1990s as a refugee, before achieving a postgraduate degree and UK citizenship. He also served as a councillor for the centre-left Labour Party in the London borough of Ealing. |
| He returned to Somalia in 2008, where he served as information minister before becoming mayor of Mogadishu last year. | He returned to Somalia in 2008, where he served as information minister before becoming mayor of Mogadishu last year. |
| In a tweet, the US mission to Somalia called Mr Osman "an excellent partner and tireless advocate for the people of Mogadishu and all Somalis". | |
| Al-Shabab seeks to overthrow Somalia's central government and has been carrying out regular attacks in Mogadishu, despite the heavy presence of African Union peacekeepers and US-trained Somali troops. | Al-Shabab seeks to overthrow Somalia's central government and has been carrying out regular attacks in Mogadishu, despite the heavy presence of African Union peacekeepers and US-trained Somali troops. |
| The group is affiliated with al-Qaeda and remains a powerful presence in rural Somalia. | The group is affiliated with al-Qaeda and remains a powerful presence in rural Somalia. |
| Few politicians did more, risked more | |
| Andrew Harding, BBC Africa correspondent | |
| In a dangerous city of bitter factions, he always stood out, a gentle, decent man - focused on the business of getting things done. | |
| His nickname was Engineer Yarisow - the small engineer - a reference to his height, his qualifications, and his practical nature. | |
| Like many Somalis, he'd fled abroad during the civil war and spent decades in London. Engineer Yarisow became a British citizen, a Labour councillor and a pillar of the community. | |
| But he left it all behind to return to Mogadishu a decade ago. It was a brave move and, as he knew, a risky one. | |
| Since then, thousands of members of the diaspora have gone back to Somalia to help rebuild it, in defiance of the Islamist militants of al-Shabab. | |
| I met Engineer Yarisow many times in Mogadishu - where he was first a cabinet minister, then a spokesman, and until his death, the city's mayor. | |
| Somalia's journey back to stability has been long, and remains unfinished. | |
| But it is, I think, fair to argue that few people - few politicians - did more, risked more, gave more than Engineer Yarisow. |