Somalian forces end 30-hour terrorist siege on Mogadishu hotel
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The Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu which was taken hostage by Al-Shabab on Friday evening was finally freed on Sunday after a 30-hour confrontation.
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The Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, under attack by Al-Shabaab. (Twitter)
The besieged Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, attacked on Friday, August 19, leaving at least 20 dead and over 40 wounded, was finally freed on Sunday by the Somalian forces.
On Sunday, a Somalian army officer said that Somalian officers have ended the siege of the hotel; however, efforts to remove explosives from the scene remain ongoing.
The 30-hour confrontation between the Somalian forces and Al-Shabaab militants who had taken civilians in the hotel hostage was concluded on Sunday with a death toll rising to at least 20 deaths and over 40 wounded - most of whom are civilians.
According to AFP, all Al-Shabaab militants have been eliminated during the confrontations.
The latest attack by the terrorist group is the first major incident of its kind since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office last May. Al-Shabaab has been combatting the government of Somalia and is still controlling large areas in the southern and central parts of the country.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility
The militants claimed responsibility for the attack in a brief statement on a pro-Shabaab website.
"A group of Al-Shabaab attackers forcibly entered Hotel Hayat in Mogadishu, the fighters are carrying out random shooting inside the hotel," the group said.
In recent weeks, Al-Shabaab militants have also launched attacks on the Somalia-Ethiopia border.
Mohamud said last month that ending Al-Shabaab's insurgency required more than a military approach, and his government would negotiate with the group only when the time was right.
Al-Shabaab militants were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside. It continues to launch deadly strikes on civilian and military targets, with popular hotels and restaurants frequently hit.
Earlier this month, new Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre announced the appointment of the group's former deputy leader and spokesperson, Muktar Robow, as religion minister.
Read more: Death toll from terrorist attack on Somali hotel reaches 40
