Somali forces storm hotel held by Islamic extremists

Somali forces yesterday stormed a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, where Islamic extremists had been holed up for more than 18 hours after killing eight civilians and trapping dozens in the building, officials said.

Police spokesperson Sadik Dodishe said all six extremists died during the operation at the Villa Rosa hotel, and one member of the security forces was also killed.

Dodishe said about 60 people who had been trapped in the hotel were freed and none were injured. It was not immediately clear whether others were missing.

Al-shabab said in a broadcast on its own radio frequency on Monday that its fighters attacked the hotel, which has a restaurant popular with government and security officials.

The attack is believed to have started with an explosion before gunmen penetrated the hotel’s gates.

The hotel is not far from the presidential palace, Villa Somalia, in one of the most protected parts of central Mogadishu. Hotels and restaurants are frequently targeted, as are military bases for government troops and foreign peacekeepers.

Al-shabab opposes Somalia’s federal government, which is backed by African Union peacekeepers, and seeks to take power and enforce a strict version of Sharia law.

The United States has described alshabab as one of al-qaeda’s deadliest organisations and targeted it with scores of airstrikes in recent years. Hundreds of US military personnel have returned to the country after former president Donald Trump withdrew them. —AP