A suicide bomber rammed his auto into a hotel’s entrance in Mogadishu and blew it up, allowing Al-Shabab gunmen to force their way into the hotel, exchanging fire with hotel guards and leaving 14 dead before government security forces ended the attack, including four gunmen and the suicide bomber.
Advertisement
I saw 12 civilians killed, but the number (of dead) could be much higher, “said Mohamed Ibrahim, an official of the Somali police”.
On 2 February, and they claimed to be the perpetrators of a bombing partially missed against an airliner of a regional company from Mogadishu, which killed one person, the presumed bomb setter.
The hotel is situated near the presidential palace in Mogadishu and is popular with government officials, journalists and business executives. Security sources say that the militants used more than 200 kilograms of explosives in the first bomb, which struck a checkpoint.
Ismail Olad told Reuters the two locations were full of civilians and security forces. Gunfire erupted after the blast but later died away.
The neighbouring Peace Garden is popular with Mogadishu residents, especially on Fridays, thanks to its children’s playground and cafe terraces.
“Yesterday’s al-Shabaab attack just shows how this group is proud of shedding innocent blood that are thirsty for peace”.
The attacks late on Friday, which also left 30 wounded, were claimed by Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab.
“We started with a vehicle bomb and then stormed the hotel”.
Routed from Mogadishu in mid-2011, the Shebab are on a mission to disprove suggestions they are close to defeat and have claimed several spectacular attacks in recent months.
Advertisement
Al-Shabab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, which is protected by 22,000 African Union troops.
