with videoAt least 15 people have been killed and several injured in an attack by radical Muslims on a popular hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu. This is reported by the local security services.
Foreign editors
Latest update:
00:26
The attack on the Hayat hotel has been claimed by the terrorist organization al-Shabaab, which has repeatedly attacked Western targets in East Africa in the past. The extremists first set off two car bombs in front of the hotel, then stormed into the building and opened fire.
After a siege of about 30 hours, specialized units managed to eliminate the attackers, the French news agency AFP reported. “The security forces have now ended the siege and the gunmen are dead, we have not had any gunshots from the building in the past hour,” said a security commander. He declined to say how many casualties there were. The government will hold a press conference on Sunday morning about the bloody attack, he said.
“We were having tea in the lobby when we heard the first explosion followed by shots,” eyewitness Abdullahi Hussein told news agency by phone. AP. “I immediately ran to the hotel rooms on the ground floor and locked the door. The extremists immediately went up and started shooting. I stayed in the room until the security forces came to my rescue.”
Bodies on the ground
Hussein saw “several bodies” lying on the floor at the reception. The police rescued dozens of people, including children. Emergency services reported earlier this morning that at least nine injured people had been taken away. A doctor at Madina Hospital fears the death toll may rise as many of the injured are in critical condition and new ones continue to arrive, according to news channel CNN.
Meeting place
The Hayat hotel in Mogadishu is a popular meeting place for government employees, journalists and business people. It is therefore a logical target for al-Shabaab, an organization affiliated with al-Qaeda and which has been fighting the Somali government for years.
Al-Shabaab controls much of the south and center of the country. The organization also succeeded in extending its influence to parts of Mogadishu, which are controlled by the government. In recent weeks, the militants have also attacked targets near the Ethiopian border.
The attack on the Hayat hotel is the first in the capital since Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected the new president in May. Two years ago, 17 people – including five terrorists – were killed in an al-Shabaab attack on a popular beach hotel in Mogadishu. Last February, a Dutchman was killed in an attack by the terrorist group on another hotel in the capital. The 35-year-old man from Assen was there for his wedding.
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