Militants lay siege to key hotel in Somali capital

The number of casualties from the siege and the number of people rescued were unknown but it was thought at least four were dead

Gunfire was heard coming from inside a besieged Mogadishu hotel on Monday that was stormed by militants on Sunday.

The Villa Rose hotel, near the presidential residence in the Somali capital, was seized on Sunday by al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants using guns and explosives.

Some government officials escaped through the windows, a police officer said.

“There is still heavy gunfire inside the hotel and we hear explosions from time to time ... we are still in our houses since last night, when the siege started,” said Ismail Haaji, who lives near the hotel.

Another witness described hearing a “huge blast, followed by a heavy exchange of gunfire.”

Special forces units, known as Gaashaan and Haramcad, had taken over operations, said a police officer at the scene who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The fighters who launched the attack are still fighting inside the hotel, and they are fighting with the forces of Haramcad and Gaashaan, and security forces are trying to rescue the people trapped inside the hotel,” the officer added.

The number of casualties from the siege and the number of people rescued were unknown but it was thought at least four were dead. At least one minister, Mohamed Ahmed, is reported to have been injured while another, Environment Minister Adam Aw Hirsi, told reporters he had survived the attack.

Government officials in Mogadishu frequently use the Villa Rosa hotel for meetings.

Somalia’s parliament said it had postponed a scheduled session for both of its houses.

“All members of parliament of both councils are being informed that today’s scheduled meeting has been postponed,” it said on its Facebook page.

Al Shabaab, which is seeking to topple the government and establish its own rule based on an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, frequently stages attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected this year, has launched a military offensive against the group.