Terrorist faction attacks hotel used by authorities in Somali capital

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Islamist militants attacked a hotel used by government officials in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Sunday night (27), local time, police and witnesses said. This is the second such attack in a few months.

Al Qaeda-linked terrorist faction Al Shabaab, which controls large areas of the country, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement it had targeted the nearby presidential palace. It is not known how many attackers carried out the action.

“We were rocked by a huge explosion, followed by intense firefights,” said Ahmed Abdullahi, who lives nearby. “We’re just inside the house and hearing gunshots.”

Security forces rescued government officials and members of the public who were trapped in the Villa Rose hotel in the Bondhere district, state broadcaster SNTV said on Twitter.

Some government workers at Villa Rose were rescued after using the windows to escape, said Mohammed Abdi, one of the officers.

Environment Minister Adam Aw Hirsi wrote on Twitter that he was safe after a “terrorist explosion targeted my residence” at the hotel, where many government officials stay.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was re-elected in May, has been leading a military offensive against Al Shabaab. The faction has been trying to overthrow the Somali government for more than ten years, with plans to implement a regime based on a radical interpretation of Islamic law.

In August, a similar attack on a Hayat hotel, also spearheaded by al Shabaab, left 21 people dead and 117 injured. The episode ended with the attackers dead after security forces bombed the building. That month’s attack was the first major attack since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud resumed power.

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