“Mujahideen (fighters) entered and took over Sahafi hotel where enemies lived”, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, told Reuters.
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Condemning the cowardly attack on Sahafi Hotel, Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General said: “today we are all horrified, devastated and appalled”.
Shortly afterwards, a second explosion rocked the hotel building, and Somali security forces engaged in an intense exchange of gunfire with the assailants, who had made their way into the building. Two French security advisers were abducted from the hotel in 2009.
The other attackers, dressed in Somali military uniforms, then stormed the hotel, police and witnesses said.
The council praised the response by Somalia’s army, which killed all of the attackers, and highlighted “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations” as one of the most serious threats to global peace.
The members of the Security Council expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and Government of Somalia.
According to officials, Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, have accepted the responsibility of the attack.
The AU is helping the government battle al-Shabab.
“There was a huge explosion and people around the entrance were killed”, said Mohamed Ismael, a witness, who had been nearby when the assault started. Al-Shabab has also attacked neighboring countries that have sent troops to support the Mogadishu government, which is backed by the United Nations.
In a statement, AMISOM said it strongly condemned Sunday’s “heinous terrorist attack”.
“This is the action of an increasingly desperate, internally divided group of extremists…”
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