Shebab Islamists attacked a hotel near the presidential palace in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Thursday March 14, we learned from security sources and witnesses.
The attack, claimed by the Islamist group, began around 9:45 p.m. (6:45 p.m. GMT) when armed men stormed the hotel in a barrage of bullets.
“Several armed men entered the building by force after destroying the surrounding wall with explosives
,” security officer Ahmed Dahir told AFP.
The results of this assault are not immediately known.
Witnesses said they heard the attackers shooting indiscriminately.
“I don't know if there are any victims, but there were a lot of people inside when the attack started
,” said Hassan Nur, who was able to escape by climbing a wall.
Shebab considered a terrorist group
Shebab has been fighting the Somali federal government, supported by the international community, for more than 16 years.
They have been considered a terrorist group by Washington since 2008. Driven out of the main cities in 2011-2012, they remain established in vast rural areas of the center and south of the country, from where they regularly carry out attacks against security targets, political and civil.
The government of President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud launched a vast offensive in August 2023, supported by the American army and the African Union force present in the country (Atmis), which, after allowing the reconquest of territories in the center of Somalia, is currently at a standstill.