MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) A Somali Cabinet minister is among the 15 killed in an Islamic extremist attack on a hotel in Somalia’s capital, police say.
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The attacks have raised concerns about the security of hotels in the seaside capital which has seen numerous attacks by al-Shabab in recent years.
Al Shabab, which claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack, has been under intense pressure in recent years, losing a succession of leaders to USA drone strikes.
MOGADISHU, Somalia-Somalia’s State Minister for Environment Buri Mohamed Hamze has been confirmed dead in a terror assault on a Mogadishu hotel frequented by government officials and foreigners, Garowe Online reports. A senior police official said fighting is continuing inside the Naso-Hablod hotel after it was stormed by militants, reportedly belonging to the al-Shabaab Islamist group.
A Somali soldier takes position during an attack on a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, Saturday, June 25.
At least four gunmen took part in the attack. “Some of them died in the hospitals”, Hussein said. He said at least 20 guards and civilians were killed.
Somali special forces entered the building some time after the attack, and witnesses said they later heard a long exchange of gunfire.
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”.
More than 30 others have been injured in the attack, he added. “I escaped through the back door”, Ali Mohamud told the Associated Press news agency.
In early June, an overnight siege by militants at another hotel in the capital killed least 15 people, including two members of parliament.
After Saturday’s attack, al-Shabab quickly claimed responsibility once again.
The latest attack comes during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, when extremists often step up their attacks. “Most of them were wounded in crossfire”, he said.
The assaults in the capital have highlighted the challenges facing the Somali government and African Union forces that are struggling to secure the country.
Al-Shabaab insurgents have been ousted from most of Somalia’s cities, but continue to carry out bombings and suicide attacks.
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The mission is under strain after Uganda announced on Friday it would withdraw 6,000 troops by the end of 2017 after the European Union cut its funding for the mission in Somalia by 20 percent.
