By By Abdi Sheikh
Somali forces ended a violent siege of a hotel in the capital Mogadishu following a terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of more than 20 people, officials said on Sunday, adding that dozens of hostages had been freed.
Elite forces in the Horn of Africa country dealt with al Qaeda-linked militants for 30 hours after the jihadists opened fire on the Hayat hotel on Friday night.
“We have confirmed so far that there are 21 dead and another 117 injured,” Health Minister Ali Haji told national SNTV. “It is possible that there are bodies that were not taken to hospitals, but were buried by family members (…) The number of dead and victims is based on the number of people taken to hospitals,” he added.
Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked group that has been trying to overthrow the Somali government for more than a decade, claimed responsibility for the attack. The jihadists want to establish their own government based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Friday’s attack on the Hayat, a hotel popular with lawmakers and other government officials, was the first major incident since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May.
“This was the worst hotel siege we’ve ever seen,” said Ahmed, a police captain who gave only one name.
The attackers fired on civilians who tried to flee the hotel after the attack began, Ahmed said, adding that they killed 10 security guards with guns and grenades.
Aden Ali, a survivor, told Reuters he was having a cup of tea at the hotel when he heard the first explosion. He ran towards the compound’s wall with other people as the militants shot at them.
“There were many of us trying to escape, more than a dozen. When I left the hotel, I could see eight of us. The rest may have been killed in the shooting,” Ali said.
Another group of people who were staying at the hotel went upstairs, where they were killed by the militants, who first blew up the stairs to prevent their escape, Ali said.
Security forces were able to free some people who had locked themselves in their rooms on the upper floors after several hours, he said.
About 106 people were released, including women and children, a senior police official said. There was no immediate information on the number of attackers.
(By Abdiqani Hassan and Abdi Sheikh in Somalia, Ann Maria Shibu in Bangalore)
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