The top United Nations official in Somalia has condemned in the strongest terms ” a series of deadly terrorist attacks against an African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) base and two hotels in the country capital of Mogadishu which resulted in numerous casualties.
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“There was a loud blast and explosions”, said police officer Abdi Dhuhul, dding that the gunmen “stormed the building”.
“We arrived and found the vehicle already burnt and three dead”.
Kenyan military forces have previously conducted operations in neighboring Somalia while targeting members of the extremist group al-Shabab, which claimed responsibility for one high-profile attack on a university in eastern Kenya in April and another on the luxury Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in 2013. “So far we know six civilians died”, Umar Ali, a police officer, told Reuters from near the hotel.
“We targeted a police convoy near Lamu”.
Mutali said survivors were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Al Shabaab launched a surprise attack in Raga El district in the Middle Shebelle region, which it lost its control to the African Union and Somali government forces a year ago.
The hotels are said to be popular with the government officials and it had been crowded with the people who were getting ready to break their fast of Ramadan at the time of attacks.
Shebab militants have recently been blamed for a string of security incidents in the Lamu area, including attacks on passenger buses and a failed raid on a military base last month. Past year gunmen left at least 60 civilians dead in a night rampage through the town of Mpeketoni.
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