Terrorist group starts attack with car bomb at hotel; Somali forces capture three militants alive, two others blow themselves up after being shot
An attack on a hotel in Mogadishu ended on Sunday after 29 people were killed during a siege lasting nearly 12 hours, police said. The attack proved once again that insurgents could carry out deadly assaults in the heart of the Somali capital.
Residents walk at the scene of the blast, in the heart of the Somali capital. Pics/AFP
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The Islamist militants al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday. The group wants to overthrow the weak, UN-backed government and impose a strict form of Islamic law. "So far, I am sure 29 people died – the death toll may rise," said Abdullahi Nur, a police officer.
Somalis carry away an injured man after the car explosion
At least 12 of the dead were police officers, Nur said. And a woman, Madobe Nunow, was beheaded while her "three children were shot dead," he said. Three militants were captured alive and two others blew themselves up after they were shot, police said. Some militants may have disguised themselves and escaped with the residents who were rescued from the hotel, one police officer said.
The attack began around at 5 pm on Saturday when a car bomb rammed the gates of Nasahablod Two hotel, which is close to the presidential palace, and destroyed the hotel's defences. Then gunmen stormed the building. The explosion destroyed the front of the three-storey hotel and damaged the hotel next door.
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