According to the authorities, a large part of the hotel has been destroyed in the battle against the attackers.
Leonard Wilhelmus,
Mikko Leppänen
In Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, at least 12 people have died when gunmen from the extremist organization al-Shabaab attacked a hotel.
The attackers hit the Hayat Hotel on Friday evening first with two car bombs. After that, they broke into the hotel, started shooting and took over the building.
According to witnesses, several explosions were heard during the night as government forces tried to seize the hotel from the attackers. According to the authorities, a large part of the hotel has been destroyed during the operation.
Commander of local security forces Mohamed Abdikadir told the news agency AFP that the fight against terrorists in the hotel is still going on. The terrorists are isolated in one hotel room.
According to Abdikadir, security forces have rescued dozens of people from the hotel. There are also children in the group.
The extremist organization al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabaab, which is linked to the terrorist network al-Qaeda, has been fighting the Somali government for more than ten years. The organization is trying to establish a government based on Islamic law.
An al-Shabaab spokesman said on the organization’s radio channel Saturday that the gunmen still held the building and had “inflicted heavy casualties.”
Hayat Hotel’s customers include many politicians and civil servants.