MOGADISHU: Security officials said on Monday that at least four people have been killed in an ongoing attack by militants in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. Officials said the militants laid siege to a hotel in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu overnight.
Local media said that gunfire and explosions could still be heard more than 12 hours following the militants’ attack on the hotel near the presidential palace. Security official Mohamed Dahir told a foreign news agency that they have confirmed the death of four persons in the ongoing attack. He said that several people have been rescued and hoped the normalcy will be returned. He informed the media that government officials were also wounded in the attack.
Officials say militants target hotel in the capital
It may be recalled that the hotel is located in a secure part of the city and just a few blocks away from the office of Somalia’s President. According to Police, the attackers stormed into the hotel at around 8:00 pm on Sunday and an operation is underway to eliminate the armed men.
Local said that they are still hearing explosions and gunfire near the site. Local Mahad Yare told AFP that he saw several military vehicles with special forces moving toward the site of the attack.
In a statement on Sunday, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia lauded the swift security response to the attack in the capital. Militants have intensified their attacks against civilian and military targets as Somalia’s recently-elected government has pursued a policy fight against the militants.
Two cars loaded with explosives blew up minutes apart in Mogadishu followed by gunfire, killing as many as 121 people and injuring 333 others on October 29. The United Nations (UN) said earlier that at least 613 civilians were killed and 948 wounded in violence and attacks this year in Somalia. – APP/AFP
