|
 Al Shabaab, who are battling African peacekeepers for control of
territory in southern and central Somalia, said its bombers had
targeted intelligence officials who were meeting at the Jazira hotel
at the time.
"The apostates are the eyes and the ears of the invaders and these
attacks serve as a well-deserved punishment for their role in
guiding and assisting the invading forces in their crusade," al
Shabaab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage said in a statement.
Al Shabaab said it had killed more than a dozen people in
Wednesday's attack. A private ambulance service director said his
medics had recovered at least 11 bodies.
The assault on the Jazira hotel, one of the securest places in the
coastal capital, underscored worries in neighboring countries and
beyond that Somalia could slip back into anarchy if recent military
gains against rebels are not consolidated.
An attack on a Kenyan shopping mall in September in which dozens of
people were killed highlighted the militants' ability to strike
beyond Somalia's borders.
[to top of second column] |
Islamist suicide bombers struck the Jazira hotel in September 2012
as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was giving a news conference just
two days after his election by lawmakers.
(Reporting by Feisal Omar; writing by Richard Lough)
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