Three Killed In Al-Shabaab Siege At Mogadishu Hotel: Police

Mogadishu, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Mar, 2024) Three people were killed in an hours-long siege by Al-Shabaab militants at a popular hotel near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said Friday.

Security forces also killed five assailants in a gun battle, Somali police spokesman Colonel Qasim Ahmed Roble told reporters.

Armed fighters stormed the SYL hotel in a hail of bullets late on Thursday before security forces announced they had brought the situation under control after more than 13 hours.

It broke a relative lull in violence by the Al-Qaeda-linked group, demonstrating its continued ability to strike despite a major military offensive against the militants.

"Three people died in the attack and 27 others including 18 civilians and nine soldiers were wounded," Roble told a press conference, adding that the injury toll included three lawmakers.

"The situation at the hotel is back to normal now," he said.

The attack on the SYL hotel -- which has been targeted several times in the past -- occurred early in the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and was claimed by Al-Shabaab.