Somali forces end terror attack on hotel; 8 dead
Jun 11, 2023
Mogadishu [Somalia], June 11: Somali security forces ended a terrorist attack on a luxury hotel in the capital Mogadishu early Saturday morning, police told DPA
Fighters from the Islamist terrorist group al-Shabaab stormed the hotel on Friday evening and killed at least eight people, including five hotel guests, two guards and a police officer, police said further. Six al-Shabaab fighters were also killed in the attack on the Pearl Beach Hotel on Lido Beach.
Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at the hotel's entrance on Friday evening and gunmen then stormed the building, police officer Mohamed Dahir said on Saturday.
During the siege, more than 120 people, mostly women and children, were rescued from the hotel and adjacent facilities.
Another security official said the attackers took hotel guests hostage, making the security forces' job difficult.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the crime via the pro-Islamist radio station Andalus. The group has been waging attacks and violence on the country on the Horn of Africa, which has a population of around 16 million, for years.
Source: Qatar Tribune
