Casualties Reported As Jihadist Group Seizes Hotel In Somali Capital Somalia

The attack on the Hayat hotel sparked a fierce battle between security forces and the jihadist group’s gunmen, who were still inside the building, security official Abdukadir Hassan said. “A huge explosion occurred minutes before the gunmen entered the hotel,” he said. “We have no details so far, but there are casualties, and the security forces are now in contact with the enemy hidden inside the building,” he added. Witnesses said a second explosion occurred outside the hotel minutes after the first, killing rescue workers, members of the security forces and civilians who rushed to the scene after the first blast. “The area is now cordoned off and there is an exchange of fire between the security forces and the gunmen,” said one witness, Mohamed Salad. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group, which has been waging a deadly insurgency against Somalia’s fragile central government for about 15 years, claimed responsibility. “A group of al-Shabaab attackers forcefully entered Hotel Hayat in Mogadishu. The militants are carrying out random shootings inside the hotel,” the group said in a brief statement on a pro-Shabaab website. Hayat Hotel is a popular venue with lawmakers and other government officials. Earlier this week, the US announced that its forces had killed 13 al-Shabaab fighters in an airstrike in the south-central part of the country as the Islamist militants attacked Somali forces. The US has carried out several airstrikes against the militants in raids in recent weeks. In May, President Joe Biden ordered the restoration of the US troop presence in Somalia to help local authorities fight al-Shabaab, reversing a decision by his predecessor, Donald Trump, to withdraw most US forces. Fighters from the group have also recently carried out attacks on the Somalia-Ethiopia border, raising concerns about a possible new strategy by the Islamist militants. Somalia’s new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said last month that ending the insurgency required more than a military approach, but that his government would only negotiate with the group when the time was right. Al-Shabaab fighters were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swaths of the countryside and has the ability to carry out deadly strikes on civilian and military targets. Earlier this month, Somalia’s new prime minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, announced the appointment of the group’s former deputy leader and spokesman, Muktar Robow, as minister of religion. Robow, 53, publicly defected from al-Shabaab in August 2017. The US government at one point offered a $5 million reward for his capture. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past. In August 2020, he said he was behind an attack on another hotel in Mogadishu that killed at least 16 people.

title: “Casualties Reported As Jihadist Group Seizes Hotel In Somali Capital Somalia Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-28” author: “Donald Quarterman”

The attack on the Hayat hotel sparked a fierce battle between security forces and the jihadist group’s gunmen, who were still inside the building, security official Abdukadir Hassan said. “A huge explosion occurred minutes before the gunmen entered the hotel,” he said. “We have no details so far, but there are casualties, and the security forces are now in contact with the enemy hidden inside the building,” he added. Witnesses said a second explosion occurred outside the hotel minutes after the first, killing rescue workers, members of the security forces and civilians who rushed to the scene after the first blast. “The area is now cordoned off and there is an exchange of fire between the security forces and the gunmen,” said one witness, Mohamed Salad. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group, which has been waging a deadly insurgency against Somalia’s fragile central government for about 15 years, claimed responsibility. “A group of al-Shabaab attackers forcefully entered Hotel Hayat in Mogadishu. The militants are carrying out random shootings inside the hotel,” the group said in a brief statement on a pro-Shabaab website. Hayat Hotel is a popular venue with lawmakers and other government officials. Earlier this week, the US announced that its forces had killed 13 al-Shabaab fighters in an airstrike in the south-central part of the country as the Islamist militants attacked Somali forces. The US has carried out several airstrikes against the militants in raids in recent weeks. In May, President Joe Biden ordered the restoration of the US troop presence in Somalia to help local authorities fight al-Shabaab, reversing a decision by his predecessor, Donald Trump, to withdraw most US forces. Fighters from the group have also recently carried out attacks on the Somalia-Ethiopia border, raising concerns about a possible new strategy by the Islamist militants. Somalia’s new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said last month that ending the insurgency required more than a military approach, but that his government would only negotiate with the group when the time was right. Al-Shabaab fighters were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swaths of the countryside and has the ability to carry out deadly strikes on civilian and military targets. Earlier this month, Somalia’s new prime minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, announced the appointment of the group’s former deputy leader and spokesman, Muktar Robow, as minister of religion. Robow, 53, publicly defected from al-Shabaab in August 2017. The US government at one point offered a $5 million reward for his capture. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past. In August 2020, he said he was behind an attack on another hotel in Mogadishu that killed at least 16 people.

title: “Casualties Reported As Jihadist Group Seizes Hotel In Somali Capital Somalia Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-03” author: “Robert Archambault”

The attack on the Hayat hotel sparked a fierce battle between security forces and the jihadist group’s gunmen, who were still inside the building, security official Abdukadir Hassan said. “A huge explosion occurred minutes before the gunmen entered the hotel,” he said. “We have no details so far, but there are casualties, and the security forces are now in contact with the enemy hidden inside the building,” he added. Witnesses said a second explosion occurred outside the hotel minutes after the first, killing rescue workers, members of the security forces and civilians who rushed to the scene after the first blast. “The area is now cordoned off and there is an exchange of fire between the security forces and the gunmen,” said one witness, Mohamed Salad. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group, which has been waging a deadly insurgency against Somalia’s fragile central government for about 15 years, claimed responsibility. “A group of al-Shabaab attackers forcefully entered Hotel Hayat in Mogadishu. The militants are carrying out random shootings inside the hotel,” the group said in a brief statement on a pro-Shabaab website. Hayat Hotel is a popular venue with lawmakers and other government officials. Earlier this week, the US announced that its forces had killed 13 al-Shabaab fighters in an airstrike in the south-central part of the country as the Islamist militants attacked Somali forces. The US has carried out several airstrikes against the militants in raids in recent weeks. In May, President Joe Biden ordered the restoration of the US troop presence in Somalia to help local authorities fight al-Shabaab, reversing a decision by his predecessor, Donald Trump, to withdraw most US forces. Fighters from the group have also recently carried out attacks on the Somalia-Ethiopia border, raising concerns about a possible new strategy by the Islamist militants. Somalia’s new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said last month that ending the insurgency required more than a military approach, but that his government would only negotiate with the group when the time was right. Al-Shabaab fighters were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swaths of the countryside and has the ability to carry out deadly strikes on civilian and military targets. Earlier this month, Somalia’s new prime minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, announced the appointment of the group’s former deputy leader and spokesman, Muktar Robow, as minister of religion. Robow, 53, publicly defected from al-Shabaab in August 2017. The US government at one point offered a $5 million reward for his capture. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past. In August 2020, he said he was behind an attack on another hotel in Mogadishu that killed at least 16 people.

title: “Casualties Reported As Jihadist Group Seizes Hotel In Somali Capital Somalia Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “Bennie Guyer”

The attack on the Hayat hotel sparked a fierce battle between security forces and the jihadist group’s gunmen, who were still inside the building, security official Abdukadir Hassan said. “A huge explosion occurred minutes before the gunmen entered the hotel,” he said. “We have no details so far, but there are casualties, and the security forces are now in contact with the enemy hidden inside the building,” he added. Witnesses said a second explosion occurred outside the hotel minutes after the first, killing rescue workers, members of the security forces and civilians who rushed to the scene after the first blast. “The area is now cordoned off and there is an exchange of fire between the security forces and the gunmen,” said one witness, Mohamed Salad. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group, which has been waging a deadly insurgency against Somalia’s fragile central government for about 15 years, claimed responsibility. “A group of al-Shabaab attackers forcefully entered Hotel Hayat in Mogadishu. The militants are carrying out random shootings inside the hotel,” the group said in a brief statement on a pro-Shabaab website. Hayat Hotel is a popular venue with lawmakers and other government officials. Earlier this week, the US announced that its forces had killed 13 al-Shabaab fighters in an airstrike in the south-central part of the country as the Islamist militants attacked Somali forces. The US has carried out several airstrikes against the militants in raids in recent weeks. In May, President Joe Biden ordered the restoration of the US troop presence in Somalia to help local authorities fight al-Shabaab, reversing a decision by his predecessor, Donald Trump, to withdraw most US forces. Fighters from the group have also recently carried out attacks on the Somalia-Ethiopia border, raising concerns about a possible new strategy by the Islamist militants. Somalia’s new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said last month that ending the insurgency required more than a military approach, but that his government would only negotiate with the group when the time was right. Al-Shabaab fighters were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swaths of the countryside and has the ability to carry out deadly strikes on civilian and military targets. Earlier this month, Somalia’s new prime minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, announced the appointment of the group’s former deputy leader and spokesman, Muktar Robow, as minister of religion. Robow, 53, publicly defected from al-Shabaab in August 2017. The US government at one point offered a $5 million reward for his capture. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past. In August 2020, he said he was behind an attack on another hotel in Mogadishu that killed at least 16 people.