Al-Shabaab overnight siege of Mogadishu hotel ends

MOGADISHU: A siege by Al-Shabaab Islamist militants at a popular hotel near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu ended on Friday after more than 13 hours with all the gunmen killed, a police officer told AFP.

Armed fighters had stormed the SYL hotel in a hail of bullets late on Thursday, with Al-Shabaab claiming responsibility in a brief statement.

“All the terrorist gunmen were killed, and the situation has returned to normal now. The security forces are carrying out a thorough clearance and investigations,” police officer Abdirahim Yusuf told AFP.

Sporadic explosions and gunfire had rung out early on Friday from the hotel, the target of several previous attacks by the Islamist militant group.

There has been no official casualty toll from the attack, which took place during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, and no official comment from the government.

“There is no gunfire now and the security forces are controlling the building. I saw some senior government officials in a convoy entering the building,” said witness Saadak Mohamed.

The assault broke a relative lull in violence by the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group, demonstrating its continued ability to strike despite a major military offensive against the militants.

“Several gunmen forced their way into the building after destroying the perimeter wall with a heavy explosion,” security officer Ahmed Dahir told AFP.

Witnesses described hearing the assailants shoot indiscriminately.

“I don't know about the casualties but there were many people inside when the attack started,” said Hassan Nur, who escaped by scaling a wall.

Other witnesses said that police arrived at the hotel within minutes of the attack, triggering a fierce gun battle.

The same hotel has been hit by Al-Shabaab several times in the past, most recently in 2019 when five people were killed.