Enlarge image
A Somali soldier patrols after an al-Shabaab attack in Mogadishu in August
Photo: HASSAN ALI ELMI / AFP
On Sunday evening, Islamist fighters from the terrorist militia Al-Schabaab stormed a hotel in Mogadishu - and are still occupying it today.
According to Somali authorities, the building is surrounded and security forces are working to "quickly end" the siege.
The terrorists have therefore entrenched themselves in a room of the hotel.
The information about victims of the attack are different.
An official confirmed to the AFP news agency at least four people killed, the dpa news agency writes of at least ten dead, citing security forces.
Islamists had attacked the hotel in central Mogadishu on Sunday evening.
According to eyewitnesses, loud explosions and shots were heard, which continued on Monday morning.
Police spokesman Sadik Dudishe said many civilians and officials had been evacuated from the Hotel Villa Rose.
The hotel is mainly frequented by officials and politicians, it is located in close proximity to the Presidential Palace.
According to the hotel's website, it is "the safest place to stay in Mogadishu."
Government officials are said to be among the injured.
Parliament postponed a session scheduled for Monday.
“I was near the Villa Rose when two powerful explosions shook the hotel.
There was heavy gunfire,” eyewitness Aadan Hussein described his experiences.
"The area was cordoned off and I saw people running away."
»We are still in our houses«
"Every now and then we also hear explosions," said Ismail Haaji, who lives near Villa Rose, which was stormed by members of the al-Shabaab militia on Sunday.
"We've still been in our houses since last night, when the occupation began."
The al-Shabaab militia claimed responsibility for the attack.
The militia, which is allied with the Al Qaeda terrorist network, has been fighting the Somali government, which is supported by the international community, since 2007.
Their fighters have been expelled from the country's major cities, but they continue to dominate large rural areas of the East African country.
The militia recently intensified their attacks after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected this year, declared "total war" on them.
mrc/dpa/AFP/Reuters