MOGADISHU, Somalia: Al-Shabaab militants attacked a popular hotel near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday, security officials and witnesses said.
The attack, which Al-Shabaab claimed, began around 9:45 pm (1845 GMT) when gunmen stormed the SYL Hotel amid a hail of gunfire.
“Several gunmen forced their way into the building after destroying the perimeter wall with a heavy explosion,” security officer Ahmed Dahir told media.
There were no immediate reports if there were casualties.
Witnesses said the attackers fired indiscriminately.
“I don’t know about the casualties but there were many people inside when the attack started,” said Hassan Nur who escaped by scaling a wall.
Al-Qaeda-linked extremists have waged an insurgency against the internationally-backed federal government for more than 16 years, often targeting hotels where Somalis and foreign officials like to stay.
Although the militants have been driven out of the capital by African Union forces, they have a strong presence in rural Somalia and regularly carry out attacks against civilian and political targets, including in Mogadishu.
In August 2022, the besieged central government launched a major offensive against the militants in collaboration with local tribal militias.
However, despite the early wins, the offensive has struggled.
