Eight civilians die in Somalia hotel siege
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The number of casualties from the siege and the number of people rescued were not yet clear.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MOGADISHU - Somali security forces have ended an hours-long siege by Al-Shabaab militants who stormed a popular hotel in the capital Mogadishu overnight, killing eight civilians, the national police spokesman said on Monday.
The attack by the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents began around 8pm on Sunday in a hail of gunfire and explosions, as they besieged the Villa Rose hotel, which is frequented by parliamentarians and other government officials.
Around 21 hours after the attack started, national police spokesman Sadik Dudishe told reporters: “The clearance operation in the Villa Rose hotel has ended.”
The militants “killed eight civilians who stayed in the hotel and the security forces succeeded in rescuing about 60 civilians, no one among the civilians was wounded”, he added.
One member of the security forces also died in the operation, he said.
The Villa Rose is located in a “secure” central part of the capital just a few blocks from the office of Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, raising questions about how the militants were able to evade the numerous checkpoints in the area.
Al-Shabaab, which has been trying to overthrow Somalia’s central government for 15 years, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group has intensified attacks against civilian and military targets as Somalia’s recently elected government has pursued a policy of all-out war against the Islamists. AFP
Asked what the government would do next, he said there was no turning back and the government would “not let up the fight”.
Somalia government forces, supported by clan militias and, at times, African Union troops and United States air strikes, have made a number of battlefield gains in their offensive against Al-Shabaab over the last three months.
The US military has conducted several air strikes against the Al-Shabaab this year, but it was not clear whether it was involved in Monday’s battle.
Despite being pushed back, Al-Shabaab has still been able to stage large attacks on both civilian and military targets.
In October, two car bombs exploded at Somalia’s Education Ministry next to a busy market intersection, killing at least 120 people.
It was the deadliest attack since a truck bomb exploded at the same intersection in October 2017, killing more than 500 people.
Al-Shabaab, which is seeking to topple the government and establish its own rule based on an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, frequently stages attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere. REUTERS
