It has been a year since a deadly attack by the murderous group al-Shabaab on civilians that claimed close to a hundred innocent lives at the Ex-Control Afgoye. In addition to the grief and sadness caused by such attacks, in some cases a family’s breadwinner is sadly taken away from his/her family causing families to struggle with their livelihood. The Somali people are already struggling to make ends meet and such family members are being martyred.

For example, Abdirahman Ahmed Yalahow was one of the victims of the explosion at the Ex-Control Afgoye intersection, and was an orphaned young man who helped his mother support the family. His death left his mother struggling to make ends meet. Although Abdirahman was a student, he provided daily food for his family while managing their home life.

Maryam Maalim, Abdirahman's mother, said her son was an orphan whose father had already died and that he was playing an important role in their home. "My son was at school at the time and was playing an important role in our daily lives, and he was 22 years old," said Abdirahman’s mother.

The murderous blood-sucking group al-Shabaab has always caused national disasters with civilians being targeted in its pointless attacks. The deaths of thousands of people who regularly end up in al-Shabaab attacks have a profound effect on the lives of those they leave behind. It is every Somali’s duty to fight the only remaining enemy that is al-Shabaab and to restore our country’s glory.