Civil war turned Somalia’s main soccer stadium into an army camp. Now it’s hosting games again

By OMAR FARUK
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A stadium in Somalia’s violence-prone capital is hosting its first soccer tournament in three decades, drawing thousands of people to a sports facility that had been abandoned for decades and later became a military base amid the country’s civil war. The national competition is a milestone in efforts to restore public life after decades of violence. The Islamist extremist group Al-Shabab, which has ties with the Islamic State, still sometimes launches attacks on hotels, government offices and other public places, but it many Somalis are willing to brave the stadium, which has a heavy security presence.