Somalia: Security forces storm hotel where militants were holding scores of civilians in siege near presidential palace | World News
A near-day-long siege by Islamist extremists at a hotel in Mogadishu ended after Somali security forces stormed the building.
Al Qaeda-linked fighters al Shabaab detained many people inside the hotel in the capital before the attack ended 18 hours after it began.
The extremists killed eight civilians and one force member, while six militants were killed in a counterattack at the Villa Rose hotel.
According to police, five attackers were shot dead and another blew up a suicide bomb.
Panoramic view of the presidential palace area where the hotel attack took place
About 60 other civilians trapped inside were freed and no one was injured. It is not clear if others are missing.
“The operation at the Rose Hotel has ended,” said police spokesman Sadik Aden Ali.
Government officials in Mogadishu use Villa Rose to hold meetings and some live there.
The attack is said to have started with an explosion before the gunmen stormed the gate.
SomaliAdam’s environment minister Aw Hirsi was among those living in the building and said he was among the group that broke down the door to escape.
‘The bullets rain in all directions’
“I was leaving the hotel mosque, where we were celebrating evening prayer with the congregation when the explosion happened. The roof of the VIP room I was in was flying and the glass was shattered everywhere.” Mr. Hirsi said.
“After that, bullets poured down in all directions,” he said, adding that he, a friend and another minister, had fled the building through a rear exit.
“Many people followed us to the exit, we broke through the door with collective kicks and got out safely,” he said.
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Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, saying it targeted the nearby presidential palace in one of the most heavily guarded areas in central Mogadishu.
The attack comes as the government is launching a high-profile offensive against the militant group that still controls much of central and southern Somalia.
Al Shabaab is trying to overthrow the government and establish his own rule based on his interpretation of radical Islamic law.
Observers say the attack near the center of the government could cause fear among residents of the coastal city, which has long been the site of militant attacks.
