Group jihadist Al-Shabaab attacked a hotel near the presidential palace last night. Somalia He is in the capital, Mogadishu, a haunt of ministers, government officials and parliamentarians, where gunshots are still heard this morning, police reported.
After the attack, unidentified terrorists attacked the Villa Rose hotel, which is located in the center of the capital and equipped with strong security measures. cause an explosion at establishment gates Around 17:00 GMT on Sunday.
Security forces launched an operation to stop the attackPolice spokesman Sadiq Dodishe told the Somali National News Agency (SONNA) that dozens of people, including officials and civilians, were rescued.
“The criminals will pay the price” The police spokesman added about the attack, referring to Al-Shabaab, which took responsibility for the attack.
Somali Deputy Environment Minister Adam Aw Hirs confirmed on his Twitter account that he survived the attack. “I am safe from an explosion of terror against my residence” He said he was at the hotel.
According to the local press, Somali Homeland Security Minister Mohamed Ahmed Doodishe injured in the attack, although this point has not been officially confirmed.
for now, It is unknown if there were any casualties. It is not known exactly how many people may have been trapped at the facility until they were rescued by security forces.
The attack came after the news of Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who served 100 days in the government, on the 23rd. More than 600 al-Shabaab members killed in military operations It has been done since last August.
Barre also said in a statement: About 1,200 jihadists were wounded in these attacks by the Somali Army.sometimes supported by drone air strikes from international allies such as the United States.
Al-Shabab claimed double attack with two bombed vehicles At least 120 people were killed and more than 269 people were injured in the attack on the Ministry of Education in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on 29 October.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmud later condemned the “brutal and cowardly terrorist attack”.
The attack was the deadliest since On October 14, 2017, two bomb trucks exploded in the same area, The deaths of more than 500 people, an attack for which no group has claimed responsibility, although authorities believe it was the work of Al Shabab.
Mahmud declared on August 23 “total war” to “eliminate” al-Shabaabterrorists staying in front of a famous Mogadishu hotel for thirty hours for days and killing 21 people .
Since that time, Several military operations supported by the United States with the air force against the fundamentalists.
Al Shabab frequently carries out terrorist attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia to overthrow the central government supported by the international community and forcibly establish Islamic State Wahhabi court (extremely conservative).
jihadist group controls rural areas of central and southern Somalia and also attacks neighboring countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia.
Somalia has been living in war and chaos since 1991.When dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown, he left the country without an effective government and in the hands of Islamist militias and warlords.