At the moment it is not clear if the attack, which occurred this Friday night in Mogadishu, has left fatalities.
A group of armed men carried out an attack with a car bomb and firearms on the popular Hayat hotel in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Friday night, local media report.
The al-Shabaab jihadist movement has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes weeks after the government of new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud threatened to launch an all-out offensive against the insurgents.
Reported terrorist attack on the Hayat Hotel in the capital of 🇸🇴 Somalia, MogadishuClashes are reported between Somali anti-terror units and Al-Shabab terrorists garrisoned inside the hotel.1/ pic.twitter.com/hzSRlr0aNf
— 🇷🇺Jacob🇷🇺Charite🇷🇺 (@jaccocharite) August 19, 2022
Local media report that a shootout is taking place between the security forces and the assailants in the building, which is located near the headquarters of the city’s Department of Criminal Investigations. Residents say there is a strong exchange of shots and explosions.
Mogadishu major terrorist attack. Several powerful explosions are reported near the Hayat Hotel. In addition, locals say that the hotel is being stormed by militants of Al-Shabaab, there are dead and wounded among representatives of law enforcement agencies | @AU_ACSRT@AUC_PAPSpic.twitter.com/Sy52OFabYb
— AUC3I (@AUC31) August 19, 2022
At the moment it is not clear if the attack, which has included an explosion against a police convoy, has left fatalities, but there is talk that an agent identified as Mahad Korow has been seriously injured.
Al Shabaab, which has links to Al Qaeda, has been fighting against the Government of that African country for more than ten years, Reuters collects. Its goal is to establish a self-government based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Source: RT
