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Friday, March 29, 2024

Deadly Mogadishu hotel siege ends after security forces kill 5 al-Shaabab fighters

Mogadishu – Somali security forces shot dead five al-Shabaab gunmen, who had killed three civilians and two soldiers during an attack on a hotel near the presidential residence in Mogadishu on Tuesday night, police said early on Wednesday.

Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda linked Islamist militant group, frequently launches bombing and gun raids in Mogadishu in a bid to topple Somalia’s UN-backed government. The group confirmed last night it had attacked the Syl hotel, a popular gathering place for officials and lawmakers.

The latest attack started at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday and ended at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday, when all five attackers had been killed, deputy police commissioner General Zakia Hussen said in a statement on Twitter.

“The security forces ended the operation. Five people including three civilians and two soldiers died in the attack,” Hussen said.

“Eleven others were slightly injured, including nine civilians and two soldiers,” she added.

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