Civilians killed as gunmen storm hotel in Somalia capital

Al Shabab militants stormed Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, injuring several other people, and security forces rescued many others, including children, from the scene of the attack.

Gunfire could still be heard in the hotel early Saturday as Somali security forces tried to contain the last gunmen, who were thought to be holed up in the building. (Feisal Omar / Reuters)

At least 10 civilians have been confirmed dead in an attack by militants on a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, an official said, as security forces continued to battle gunmen holed up inside.

Fighters from the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab group stormed the popular Hayat Hotel on Friday evening in a hail of gunfire and bomb blasts.

Sporadic gunfire and loud explosions could still be heard early Saturday, many hours after the start of the assault.

It is the biggest attack in Mogadishu since Somalia's new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was elected in May after many months of political instability.

The terrorist group, which has been waging a deadly insurgency against Somalia's fragile central government for about 15 years, claimed responsibility.

Security challenge

Earlier this week, the United States announced that its forces had killed 13 Al Shabab militants in an air strike in the central-southern part of the country as the gunmen were attacking Somali forces.

The US has carried out several air raids on the group in strikes in recent weeks.

In recent weeks, Al Shabab militants have also waged attacks on the Somalia-Ethiopia border, raising concerns about a possible new strategy.

Armed attackers have taken control of a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu following two car bomb blasts and gunfire pic.twitter.com/dn4z4QADiJ

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Al Shabab terrorists were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside and frequently strikes civilian and military targets.

Somalia's new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said last month that ending Al Shabab's insurgency required more than a military approach, but that his government would negotiate with the group only when the time is right.

Al Shabab militants were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside.

It continues to wage deadly strikes on civilian and military targets, with hotels a quite frequent target.

READ MORE: Ethiopian government calls for formal ceasefire with Tigray rebels

Source: AFP

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