A hotel in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, was taken over by the terrorist organisation Al-Shabab not long after the group claimed responsibility for two vehicle bombings and gunfire in the area, resulting in at least 8 deaths. Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director and founder of Mogadishu’s Aamin ambulance services, stated earlier today that nine injured persons had been taken from the hotel.
“Two car bombs targeted Hotel Hayat. One hit a barrier near the hotel and then the other hit the gate of the hotel. We believe the fighters are inside the hotel,” said a police officer. The incident was also corroborated by two intelligence officers who declined to give their names.
About Al-Shabab terror group
A terrorist organisation with ties to Al-Qaeda is al-Shabab. For more than ten years, Al-Shabab has been battling to overthrow the Somalian government. According to Al Jazeera, it seeks to impose its own laws based on a rigid interpretation of Islamic law.
In the past, Al-Shabab has taken credit for acts of this nature. It claimed responsibility for a strike on another hotel in Mogadishu that left at least 16 people dead in August 2020. An African Union force drove al-Shabab fighters from the city in 2011, but the armed group still governs large areas of the countryside.
Gunfight between terrorists, security forces
According to security officer Abdukadir Hassan, it’s siege of Hotel Hayat led to a bloody battle between security personnel and assailants who were still holed up within the structure.
“We don’t have the details so far but there are casualties, and the security forces are now engaging with the enemy who are holed up inside the building,” Hassan said. Government officials and locals alike frequent The Hayat, a well-liked location in Mogadishu in an area with several other hotels.
According to a police spokesperson, the state-run Somali National News Agency said on its Twitter account that police were engaged in an operation to halt the attack. The organisation published a photo of the situation with smoke rising above it.
Al-Shabab terrorists killed by the US
The Al-Shabab organisation was attacking Somali soldiers when the United States claimed earlier this week that 13 of its fighters had been killed in an airstrike in the country’s central-southern region. In recent weeks, the US has conducted a number of airstrikes against the fighters. The incident on Friday is the first significant assault since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s inauguration in May.
