MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) At least three people were killed by gunmen who stormed two hotels in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, a Somali police official said Friday.
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“No casualties were confirmed, while a number of people were trapped inside the building amid sporadic exchanges of gunfire”, Xinhua quoted police officer Ahmed Shire as saying. Security officials have told local media outlets that four of the attackers have been shot dead.
Residents in the area said there was heavy gunfire and explosions coming from the hotel.
Although hotel guards and security forces ended the Weheliye hotel attack soon after it started, the attack on the Siyad hotel attack lasted more than one hour, according to Hussein.
“Typical Ugus madness to attack at time of breaking fast”, the security agency said in a statement.
The clashes between government forces and the militants are said to be ongoing at the scene.
The hotel is in the center of Mogadishu near the fortified government district, where Shebab insurgents have carried out repeated attacks.
At least 15 people were said to have been wounded in the attacks.
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On Tuesday, Shebab gunmen killed 14 workers in Kenya s northern town of Mandera, close to the Somali border.
