agencies
Mogadishu
At least 17 people, including five militants, were killed in an attack by the Islamist militia al-Shabaab on a hotel in central Somalia, officials said on Tuesday.
Most of the victims were civilians, a police spokesman said. Security forces were only able to end the siege on the hotel after around eight hours.
About 20 people were brought to safety and at least 14 people were injured in the attack, including six police officers, the spokesman said.
At the time of the attack, talks were being held in the hotel between local elders and the military officials to discuss stepping up measures against the Somali-based al-Shabaab militia, which has links to al-Qaeda. Both groups are classified as terrorist organizations by the European Union, the United Nations and several African nations.
A car bomb was detonated in the neighbourhood and shots were heard after the explosion. Armed fighters stormed the hotel after the explosion, the region’s police chief told dpa.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility via its radio station, saying the assault involved a suicide bomber and other fighters.
Born out of Somalia’s many years of anarchy after a 1991 civil war, al-Shabab has been waging war against the Somali government for more than 16 years.The Islamist militia has been fighting in the country on the Horn of Africa for years, but has also carried out terrorist attacks in neighbouring Kenya and Uganda.
In recent weeks, al-Shabaab fighters have stepped up attacks on Somali military bases. The armed group frequently carries out attacks targeting government officials and military personnel in the country. The militia controls parts of Somalia and frequently targets the capital, Mogadishu, attacking politicians, journalists and civil society figures.
