Al-Shabab terrorists took hostages in a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Saturday after detonating a bomb at the entrance, the BBC reported.
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Twin explosions rocked the Nasa-Hablod Hotel in the center of Mogadishu on Saturday afternoon and Al-Shabaab militants stormed the hotel, which is frequented by politicians.
Capt. Mohamed Hussein said some attackers had moved to the second floor and were using machine guns to resist security forces.
Mogadishu resident Ahmed Ali said that he has stopped going to hotels because they are “death traps because they are favorite targets for al-Shabab…”
However, the militants have in recent months scored some notable victories, including an attack on a Kenyan base in southern Somalia in January that killed as many as 200 soldiers, according to the Somali government.
In a statement distributed through the Telegram smartphone app, al-Shabaab informed that the suicide attacker driving a auto bomb had led the assault.
There were no immediate reports of casualties but several security sources confirmed to AFP that an attack was under way. An ambulance driver said he evacuated 11 people injured in the attack to hospitals. An attack on another Mogadishu hotel and public garden in February killed at least nine civilians.
The Nasahablood Hotel, located at the KM4 road area of Mogadishu has been under siege, according to police.
Most of those killed and injured were civilians who were passersby and customers of nearby shops and a gas station, police said. “Now they are inside and the heavy exchange of gunfire continues”, Major Nur Farah said.
The group frequently conducts suicide attacks and bombings in Somalia’s cities.
In April, at least five people were killed by a vehicle bomb outside a restaurant in Mogadishu.
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The Somali government are continuing their efforts to fight the Islamist group with the help of African Union forces.
