Ongoing upscale hotel attack in Somali capital kills over 10 people: Official

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - At least 10 people were killed and 15 others wounded after al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group al-Shabaab attacked a popular hotel on Friday night in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a security official said on Saturday.

A security official, asked not to be named due to security restrictions, told Anadolu Agency over the phone that Somali security forces were engaged in a fierce firefight inside the hotel after armed terrorists stormed it following explosions on Friday night.

He said more than 10 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the ongoing attack and 15 others wounded, including several security personnel.

The official also said an elite unit of the police has rescued dozens of civilians.

“So far we have transported 10 injured patients and 2 dead bodies. The operation is still ongoing,” the local Aamin Ambulance Service tweeted on Saturday.

Local media reported that at least four people were killed in a separate mortar attack in the capital that also wounded at least 10 people.

It is the first upscale hotel attack in Mogadishu since the new government took charge in Somalia.