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| Africa Horn |
| Two blasts, gunfire target hotel in Somalia’s Mogadishu |
| 2016-02-27 |
| [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Two loud kabooms rocked the center of Mogadishu on Friday followed by automatic gunfire, police and an AFP correspondent said, with Somalia’s Shabaab Islamists claiming they had attacked a hotel. "We heard a loud kaboom near the SYL hotel," police official Mohamad Adan told AFP, saying there was also gunfire. The first blast took place at 7:45 pm (1645 GMT), with a second erupting shortly afterwards in an attack which was claimed by the Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab movement. "Members of the mujahedeen have carried out an attack on the SYL hotel near the presidential palace. The attack began with a suicide kaboom followed by gunfire," the group said in a brief statement on its official Instagram account. More than 20 killed in Mogadishu car bombings A car bomb was set off near SYL – Somali youth league hotel next to Villa Somalia, the heavily fortified presidential palace of Somalia, killing more than 20 people, including soldiers and civilians. Minutes later, a second car bomb exploded at the peace garden, not far from the SYL hotel compound, where the most casualties happened, according to the security officials. Al shabaab claimed responsibility for the both attacks, saying it targeted the areas, where are frequented by senior Somali government officials, business people, Journalists and diaspora. Medical sources say at least twenty other people were wounded in Tonight’s twin car bombs in the horn of Africa capital. Five intelligence officers killed in Mogadishu car bomb Thunderous explosions have rocked Mogadishu’s SYL hotel, just a few meters away from Villa Somalia presidential compound on Friday, Garowe Online reports. Gunfire could be heard around the area where suspected Al Shabaab militants targeted with what seems to be apparently coordinated terror attack. The car bomb attack occurred near an entertainment facility called ‘Peace Square’. Five intelligence officers and four attackers have been reported killed in a gun-battle ensued after car bombing. |
| Posted by:Fred |