15 minutes agoSomali forces claim to end a hotel's deadly 30-hour siege
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)Somalian army forces have claimed to have defeated militants who attacked a hotel in the capital after a bloody siege. At least 12 people were killed in the deadly event, which lasted about 30 hours, although local media report that the number of victims could be even higher. [...]
At least 12 people were killed in the deadly event, which lasted about 30 hours, although local media report that the number of victims could be even higher.
The attackers used explosives to enter the Hayat Hotel of Mogadishu on Friday before taking violent control and holding guests hostage at night.
The extremist group Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack, the BBC writes, broadcasts Klan Kosova.tv.
“Security forces have ended the siege now and the armed persons have died, we haven't had gunshots fired from the building in the past hour”, an unidentified official told the AFP news agency.
The hotel was destroyed mainly after intensive bombings by security forces during Friday and Saturday night.
The BBC has reported that so far they have no official confirmation that the event is over.
In recent weeks, fighters linked to the group have also attacked along the Somalia-Etiopi border, which has raised concerns about a possible new strategy by Al-Shabab.
Friday's attack marks the first attack on the capital by the group since the new Somalian president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was elected in May.
