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Somalia: Militant group al-Shabab claims attack on hotel
[DW] Somalia security forces have fought armed button men to end a siege at a hotel in Mogadishu. It is unclear at the moment whether there are casualties.An attack on a hotel in Somalia's capital followed by a shootout between Lions of Islam and security forces has left several people injured, Mogadishu police said on Sunday. A suspected suicide boom-mobile loaded with explosives crashed into the entrance of Hotel Afrik in the center of Mogadishu, close to the city's strategic k-4 junction. Several armed button men then quickly invaded the hotel, opening fire on staff and visitors inside, police front man Sadiq Adan Ali said. Government forces responded to the attack and police rescued many people from the hotel, including its owner and an army general, according to Ali. At least nine people are believed to have died in the attack, according to local reports. Authorities have not yet confirmed casualties. "There must be casualties because the Lions of Islam first started the attack with a suicide boom-mobile against the wall," Rooters quoted Ali as saying. "The operation still goes on, casualties will be known later," he added. A 'MARTYRDOM OPERATION' Militant Islamist group al-Shabaab  ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda..., which is linked to al-Qaeda, grabbed credit for the attack through their Andalus radio station. al-Shabaab, which wants to rule the Horn of Africa country according to its interpretation of Islamic sharia law, has been known to carry out bombings in its war on Somalia's government. "We know, they have changed nothing from their usual tactic, ramming explosives into a building and following up, assaulting with rifles," said Ali. Witness Ahmed Nur told Rooters that he escaped via a ladder down a wall. "The blast made the hotel tremble as we sat inside and were talking. We were panicked, confused," he said. "I jumped down and ran. I cannot know how things were. I was scared. I heard gunfire and saw dark smoke." Related: Mogadishu: 2021-01-31 Somalia loses confidence in Kenyan troops under AU mission Mogadishu: 2021-01-29 Somalia threatens to leave East African nations bloc over Kenya dispute Mogadishu: 2021-01-29 Anger in Somalia as sons secretly sent to serve in Eritrea military force Posted by: trailing wife 2021-02-01 |
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