Somalian security officials say 10 people have been killed after Al-Shabab militants stormed a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu. According to the police, the attackers detonated two explosives outside the hotel before storming the building and opening fire.
They terrorists were said to be holed up on the top floor of the Hotel Hayat, hours after the attack began. A special police unit is claimed to have rescued dozens of guests and staff from the hotel.
“The security forces continued to neutralise terrorists who have been cordoned inside a room in the hotel building. Most of the people were rescued, but at least eight civilians were confirmed dead so far,” said an official, Mohamed Abdikadir.
Earlier, a website affiliated to Al-Shabab said a group of militants had “forcibly entered” the hotel and were “carrying out random shooting”.
The Hayat is said to be a popular location where federal government officials meet. Nine people were injured and carried away from the hotel, the head of Mogadishu’s Aamin ambulance services, Abdikadir Abdirahman told Reuters news agency earlier.
Unverified images and videos circulating on the internet show smoke billowing from the hotel. Shouting and loud bangs too can be heard.
“Two car bombs targeted Hotel Hayat,” a police officer told the Reuters news agency in a statement. “One hit a barrier near the hotel, and then the other hit the gate of the hotel. We believe the fighters are inside the hotel.”
An Al-Qaeda affiliate, Al-Shabab has he conducting a long-running war with the federal government.
The militant group controls much of southern and central Somalia and has been able to extend its influence on areas controlled by the federal government based in Mogadishu.
The attack on Friday marks the first in the Somalian capital by the group since the country’s new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was elected in May.
