Five people were wounded after a neighborhood in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu was struck by mortar shells on Sunday, a day after an al-Qaeda-linked militant group vowed to avenge the death of its spiritual leader.

According to the Associated Press, a local official said the mortar shells landed in the residential area of the Hamar Jajab district, southeast of the Banaadir region.

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As of this report, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Saturday, al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabaab unanimously voted its new leader, Ahmad Umar, also known as Abu Ubaidah, to take the place of late leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, said militant commander Abu Mohammed.

Godane, 37, together with two other militant officials, were killed on Monday during a U.S. air strike that targeted a suspected al-Shabaab encampment 170 kilometers south of the capital.

The militant group has vowed to avenge the death of its late leader, and called it a binding obligation that would never be relinquished nor forgotten until it was achieved - no matter how long it took.

In response, the Somalian government has upped its "vigilance" and taken steps to counter possible threats especially after it confirmed on Friday that it received reliable intelligence of the militant group's intention to retaliate for Godane's death.

Government spokesperson Ridwan Abdiweli said the country's army has been placed on high alert.

He also said Abdullahi Mohamed Ali would be replaced as National Security Director but declined to explain the reason behind the change.

National Security Minister Gen. Khalif Ahmed Ereg warned that educational and medical institutions were the most likely targets for attack but sought to allay fears, claiming that the army was prepared to thwart militant attempts of such attacks.

Godane, also known as Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, co-founded the al-Shabaab and took over its leadership in 2008 after the death of its then-leader Adan Hashi Ayro who was killed in a U.S. air strike. Under his leadership, the al-Shabaab forged an alliance with the al-Qaeda.

TagsAl Shabaab, Ahmed Abdi Godane, Ahmad Umar, Abu Ubaidah, Somalia, Mogadishu, Al-qaeda, Ridwan Abdiweli, Abdullahi Mohamed Ali, Khalif Ahmed Ereg