- Witnesses report explosions and heavy gunshots from the hotel.
- The Somali president calls a “strategic meeting” after the attack.
- Gunmen raid a popular hotel housing prominent figures.
Militants from the Al-Qaeda-backed group Al-Shabaab accepted responsibility for the attack on the SYL Hotel near the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, on Thursday. AFP reported.
Armed men stormed the popular hotel that hosts prominent figures throughout the year, at 9:45 p.m. local time.
According to security officer Ahmed Dahir: “Several armed men forcibly entered the building after destroying the perimeter wall with a strong explosion.”
Witnesses reported explosions and intense gunfire coming from the hotel. So far no victims have been reported.
Hassan Nur, who escaped by scaling a wall, said: “I don't know how many victims there were, but there were many people inside when the attack started.”
According to national news agency SONNA, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with defense officials in a “strategic meeting” to discuss the battle against al-Shabab.
Al Qaeda-linked jihadists have been waging an insurgency against the internationally backed federal government for more than 16 years and have often attacked hotels, which tend to house high-ranking Somali and foreign officials.
Although the militants were driven from the capital by an African Union force, they maintain a strong presence in rural Somalia and regularly carry out attacks against political and civilian targets, including in Mogadishu.
The embattled central government launched a major offensive against the Islamists in August 2022, joining forces with local clan militias.
But the offense has suffered setbacks despite early progress.
