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At least 20 people were killed as Islamist militants stormed a hotel in the Somali capital and fought security forces for hours, according to police and witnesses.
In addition, at least 40 people were injured in Friday’s late-night attack, and security forces rescued many people, including children, from the scene of Mogadishu’s popular Hayat Hotel, they said Saturday.
The attack began with an explosion outside the hotel before gunmen entered the building.
Somali forces were ending the siege of the hotel almost 24 hours after the offensive began. Gunshots could still be heard Saturday night as security forces tried to contain the last gunman, who was believed to be trapped on the top floor of the hotel.
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Al-Shabab, an Islamic extremist group linked to al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of attempts to hit places visited by government officials. It is the first large-scale terrorist attack in Mogadishu since Prime Minister Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May.
In a Twitter post, the US embassy in Somalia said it “strongly condemns” the attack on Hayat.
“We offer our condolences to the families of those killed and loved ones, and we pray for the complete recovery of the wounded, and for Somalia to hold the killers accountable and build when others have destroyed.” We promise to continue to support the
The identities of the victims have not been released, but many are believed to be civilians.
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Mohammed Abdirahman, director of Madinat Hospital in Mogadishu, told The Associated Press that 40 people had been hospitalized with wounds and injuries from the attack. He is said to be heavy.
“I was having tea near the hotel lobby when I heard the first explosion, followed by gunshots. I immediately ran to my room on the ground floor of the hotel and locked the door,” he said. Witness Abdullahi Hussein said by phone. “The militants went straight upstairs and started shooting. I was inside the room until the security forces arrived and rescued me.”
On his way to safety, he said he saw “several bodies lying on the ground outside the hotel reception.”
Al-Shabaab remains the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.
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The group has taken advantage of rifts among Somali security personnel and disagreements between the Mogadishu seat of government and the local provinces to seize more territory in recent years. It remains the greatest threat to political stability in the volatile Horn of Africa nation.
Al-Shabaab, which was forced to withdraw from Mogadishu in 2011, is slowly making a comeback from the rural areas it has retreated to, with the presence of African Union peacekeepers and US drone attacks targeting its fighters. ignoring.
Militants attacked an AU peacekeeper military base outside Mogadishu in early May, killing a number of Burundian troops. The attack came just days before the presidential election, which saw him return to power five years after Mohammed was voted out.