Militants from the Al-Shabaab group, backed by Al-Qaeda, have accepted responsibility for Thursday’s attack on the SYL hotel near the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, according to AFP.
Gunmen rushed the popular hotel, which welcomes prominent personalities throughout the year, about 9:45 p.m. local time.
Security officer Ahmed Dahir stated, “Several gunmen forced their way into the building after destroying the perimeter wall with a heavy explosion.”
Witnesses reported explosions and heavy gunfire coming from the hotel. As of now, no casualties have been recorded.
According to Hassan Nur, who escaped by scaling a wall, “I don’t know about the casualties, but there were many people inside when the attack started.”
According to the national news agency SONNA, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with defense leaders for a “strategic meeting” to discuss the fight against al-Shabab.
For more than 16 years, Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists have waged an insurgency against the internationally recognized federal government, frequently targeting hotels that house high-ranking Somali and foreign officials.
Despite being forced out of the city by an African Union force, the militants maintain a substantial presence in rural Somalia and regularly launch attacks on political and civilian targets, including Mogadishu.
In August 2022, the desperate central government began a major onslaught against Islamists, allied with local clan militias.
