The Islamist al-Shabaab militia is keeping the Somali capital Mogadishu in suspense: After storming a hotel, the security forces have so far not been able to free the hostages. Gunshots and explosions can still be heard 12 hours after the attack.
Twelve hours after storming a hotel in Somalia, the Islamist terrorist militia Al Shabaab still has the building in the capital Mogadishu under its control. Security forces surrounded the Hotel Villa Rosa near the Presidential Palace. Shots and explosions can also be heard in the morning.
At least 10 hotel guests and a suicide bomber were killed in the attack, police said, including two people with dual Somali-British citizenship. Among the injured is Somali Security Minister Ahmed Mohamed Doodishe, police officer Mohamed Dahir said. The number of victims will probably increase, he said. It is believed that there are many injured in the hotel.
Heavily armed Al Shabaab fighters stormed the hotel, which only politicians, selected business people and high-ranking state guests have access to, on Sunday evening during prayer time. The terrorist militia, which has close ties to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.
"I was near the Villa Rose when two powerful explosions shook the hotel. There was heavy gunfire," eyewitness Aadan Hussein described his experience. "The area was cordoned off and I saw people running away." Another witness reported: "I saw several military vehicles (...) driving towards the hotel and a few minutes later there were violent shots and explosions".
The hotel is in a secure area near President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's offices, making it popular with MPs. According to the hotel's website, it is "the safest place to stay in Mogadishu".
The attack came two days after a large-scale military operation by Somali government troops in the center of the country, in which the government said 100 al-Shabaab members were killed. Somalia, a country in the Horn of Africa with around 16 million inhabitants, has been rocked by attacks and violence for years. The government in Mogadishu has been conducting a military offensive against Al-Shabaab for several months.
