2 Americans among dozens killed in attack on Somali hotel
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Islamic extremists blew up the gate of a Somali hotel with a car bomb and took over the building for more than 14 hours, leaving 26 people dead before Somali forces who besieged the hotel overnight killed the attackers.
The victims included prominent Canadian-Somali journalist Hodan Nalayeh.
Three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans and a Briton also were among the dead, said Ahmed Madobe, president of Jubbaland regional state, which controls Kismayo. Fifty-six people, including two Chinese, were injured in the hotel attack, he told reporters.
At least four al-Shabab assailants attacked the Asasey Hotel on Friday, beginning with a suicide car bomb at the entrance gate and followed by an assault by gunmen who stormed the hotel, which is frequented by politicians, patrons and lawmakers.
The attack lasted more than 14 hours before troops shot dead all attackers inside the hotel compound, Col. Abdiqadir Nur, a local police officer, said.
Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaida, often uses car bombs to infiltrate heavily fortified targets like the hotel in Kismayo, which has been relatively quiet in recent years.
The attack is a blow to the Somalia government’s efforts to hold nation-wide, one-person one-vote elections next year.
Security officials cordoned off the site of the attack and prevented journalists from taking photos or video of the damaged hotel. In Malaysia: Searchers found the body of a Dutch hiker Saturday, a day after he was reported missing during flash floods in Mulu National Park.
District fire and rescue chief Law Poh Kiong said the body of Peter Hans Hoverkamp, 66, was found at a river in Deer Cave in northern Sarawak state’s Mulu National Park. Law said rescuers were still searching for local guide Roviezal Robin, who also was washed away Friday. Officials said a heavy downpour forced rescuers to halt their search operation.
Deer Cave is one of the largest cave passages in the world and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. It is one of several limestone caves in the park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.