Al-Shabaab militants’ deadly assault on a popular seaside hotel in Somalia’s capital has raised fresh questions about the threat posed by the terrorist group, despite a heightened U.S.-backed counterterrorism campaign in the Horn of Africa nation.
The militants, carrying AK-47 rifles and explosives, detonated a car bomb outside Mogadishu’s Lido beach Sunday afternoon, before shooting their way into the compound of the upscale Elite hotel, killing 11 civilians and one police officer, a government spokesman said Monday.
It took four hours before Somalia Special Forces reclaimed the hotel—a favorite hangout for government officials and members of Somalia’s diaspora—and killed the five gunmen. Troops also rescued some 200 guests, some of them via ropes strung from hotel windows. Among those saved was Abdullahi Mohamed Nor, the hotel’s owner, who is also a former finance minister and current member of parliament.
“This attack was clearly intended to cause maximum casualty on innocent civilians—men, women and children” said Francisco Madeira, the head of African Union troops in Somalia.
Hours later, al-Shabaab launched a similar attack on an army base in south-west Somalia, killing five soldiers.