Several civilians killed in an Al-Shabaab attack on a hotel in Somalia
At least 12 people have been killed in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu after al Shabaab militants attacked a hotel leading to a siege that authorities are still trying to end, an intelligence officer told Reuters on Saturday.
The attackers struck the Hayat Hotel on Friday evening with two car bombs, before entering the facility while firing their guns and seizing control.
“So far we have confirmed 12 people, mostly civilians, died,” Mohammed, an intelligence officer who only gave one name, told Reuters “The operation is about to be concluded but it is still going on.”
Sounds of explosions punctuated the night as government forces tried to wrest control of the hotel back from the militants, witnesses said.
Large sections of the hotel were destroyed by the fighting, they said.
