The attack by Islamic extremists, which began when gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital and killed 21 and injured more than 110, was ended by Somali authorities sunday, It took more than 30 hours for Somali forces to subdue the fighters who broke into Mogadishu’s Hyatt hotel on Friday evening in an attack that began with loud explosions.
This is the first significant terrorist attack in Mogadishu since Somalia’s new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamed took office. May,
According to According to Police Commissioner Abdi Hassan Hijar, the siege ended around midnight.
He claimed that several civilians, including women and children, who were trapped in the hotel during the attack, were rescued by the security forces.
Dr. Ali Haji Adam, Health The minister reported 21 deaths and 117 injuries, of which at least 15 people were seriously injured. He said the death toll could rise as some victims could not be taken to hospital.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate that frequently targets locations frequented by government officials, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The federal government and the external organizations that support it are opposed by al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab remains the deadliest Islamic extremist organization in Africa and the biggest threat to the country’s fragile democratic system.
Police are yet to give full details of how the incident happened and it is still unknown how many shooters actually entered the hotel. Two vehicle bombs that were aimed at the hotel’s front gate and barrier, According to A police officer who spoke to Reuters was used to break into the building on Friday night.
Hotel manager Ismail Abdi told The Associated Press early Sunday that security personnel were still trying to clear the area. At nine o’clock in the morning the sound of gunfire stopped. On Sunday morning, spectators gathered in front of the severely damaged hotel to watch the spectacle.
Former Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed refrained from involving al-Shabaab in any significant conflict. However, Mohamed has announced that his government will launch attacks against thousands of militants in the organization with the support of the re-entry of American troops.
Through his Andalusian radio station, al-Shabaab said that the hotel bombing was in retaliation for Mohamed’s promise to drive the organization out of Somalia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the incident and said that the organization supports the Somalians “in their struggle against terrorism and their march towards peace”.
Mogadishu’s Medina Hospital director Mohamed Abdirahman told the Associated Press that 40 victims of the incident were brought there with wounds or injuries. He said that the condition of five patients in the ICU remained critical while nine were discharged after treatment.
“We were having tea near the hotel lobby when the initial bombs and then gunshots were heard. Running into the hotel rooms on the ground floor, I quickly closed the door,” Abdullah Hussain, a witness, said via phone. “The terrorists immediately ran upstairs and started firing. I stayed in the room till the security personnel came and rescued me.”
He reported seeing “several people lying on the ground outside the hotel reception” as he made his way to security.
Al-Shabaab has recently captured significant territory by capitalizing on divisions within Somali security forces, as well as conflicts between regional governments and the leadership in Mogadishu. It remains the biggest threat to the country’s unstable political situation in the Horn of Africa.
Al-Shabaab, which was forced to flee Mogadishu in 2011, continues to make its way through rural areas despite the presence of African Union forces, as well as US drone strikes aimed at its militants. .
In early May, rebels attacked the AU peacekeeping camp west of Mogadishu, killing several Burundian soldiers in the process. The incident happened just days before Mohamed was re-elected as president, five years after he was ousted.