Survivors relive terror after Somalia siege killings

AT least 17 people were killed in a night-long siege of a popular Mogadishu restaurant by al-Shabab Islamic extremists which was ended yesterday morning by security forces.

Survivors described harrowing scenes in which the attackers hunted patrons of the popular Pizza House in the capital. The injured were taken to hospital by ambulance.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility while the restaurant was under siege.

Soldiers surrounded the building and used guns mounted on the backs of vehicles to neutralise the militants. Troops entered the ground floor while the insurgent snipers held positions upstairs.

All five attackers were killed and after dawn the soldiers secured the building, said senior Somali police office Captain Mohamed Hussein. The troops’ efforts to take control of the restaurant were slowed by the darkness, forcing them to wait until morning, he added.

Survivors said they hid under tables and behind curtains as the gunmen continued firing in the restaurant and hunted for patrons. The attackers moved from room to room, looking for people, said one.

“I never thought I would have the chance to see the sun again. They were killing people on sight,” university student Saida Hussein told the Associated Press. She said she survived the attack by hiding behind a large table downstairs.

Another survivor, Aden Karie, was wounded by an attacker who spotted him moving behind a curtain.

“He shot at me twice and one bullet struck me on the leg,” he said as he was taken to an ambulance.

The roofs were blown off the restaurant and nearby buildings by the powerful blasts.