|
Security services were earlier seen surrounding the Syl Hotel,
usually frequented by government officials and lawmakers,
following the attack claimed by al Shabaab militants.
The Somali government has yet to comment on the incident, after
attackers stormed the hotel near the president's office on
Thursday evening.
"The security forces have neutralized all terrorists who
attacked the Syl hotel in Mogadishu," Somali National Television
(SNTV) said in its post on social media platform X. "The Somali
government will soon officially provide details."
Residents heard a blast followed by gunfire as the attackers
entered the hotel, they told Reuters on Thursday. A second blast
followed several minutes later, a Reuters witness and a resident
said.
Al Shabaab has been waging a brutal insurgency against Somalia's
federal government since 2006 to try to establish its own rule
based on its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
Despite being pushed out of several territories by
government-backed forces since the mid-2010s, the militant group
still controls vast areas in southern and central Somalia and
launches sporadic attacks on civilian and military targets.
In June, al Shabaab militants killed nine people at the Pearl
restaurant in the capital.
(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar;Writing by Bhargav
Acharya;Editing by Alexander Winning and Clarence Fernandez)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
