Alshabaab hijacks a hotel near the presidential palace

 

In this operation code names " Inghimasi" in somali ,Militants from the Islamist al-Shabab group have attacked a hotel near the presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, security sources and witnesses said.

The group has attacked the Syl Hotel before, which is popular with government officials.

Witnesses reported blasts and gunfire coming from the hotel, telling Reuters that fighters were still inside.

It was not immediately clear if there were casualties.

"The armed Mujahideen control the hotel and are shooting workers and officers" of the government in the hotel, al-Shabab said in a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.

Resident Farah Ali, who lives near the president's office, told Reuters: "We first heard a huge blast, and then gunfire followed. We understand the fighters are inside [the hotel] for we hear exchange of gunfire."

"Several gunmen forced their way into the building after destroying the perimeter wall with a heavy explosion," a security officer told AFP.

Hassan Nur, who escaped by scaling a wall, said: "I don't know about the casualties but there were many people inside when the attack started."

Other witnesses reported seeing police arriving within minutes of the attack, which triggered a gun battle with militants.

Attacks had reduced in recent weeks amid heightened security after the government intensified its military offensive against the Islamist group.

Al-Shabab controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.

The group is affiliated to al-Qaeda and has waged a brutal insurgency for nearly 20 years against the UN-backed government in Somalia.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday met defence officials to plan how to reclaim lost territory, Somalia's national news agency Sonna reported.

It is a proscribed terrorist group by countries including the UK and US. The US has intervened militarily to fight against the group.

Its fighters are known for targeting hotels, including the Syl Hotel in 2019.

In 2022, the group stormed the Villa Rays hotel in the capital, killing at least 14 people.

Three years before the storming of the Villa Rays hotel, at least 26 people, inclding a prominent journalist and several foreigners, were killed in an attack on the Asasey hotel in the port of Kismayo, southern Somalia.

This is almost the 11th hour since the siege and the alshabaab in a statement still claim tobbe holding the hotel,it is surprising how the alshabaab managed to beat all the road blocks and this hotel is only accessed by senior military officers only. According to confidants in somalia,this hotel is less than 500 meters away from both the presidential palace & the office of the Prime Minister.This raises questions about how AlShabab managed to infiltrate such a heavily guarded area of the city. 

 That is the alshabaab press statement released this morning.Alshabaab statement released this morning says the siege still ongoing, entered its 11th hour, with its fighters controlling the hotel.Alshabaab also said its militants repelled 7 attempts by govt forces to end the siege.

Information from my confidants and comrades from somalia indicate that this hotel is frequented by top political and military officers and undisclosed number of these have been wounded .

Some of the wounded and killed are listed below.

Ex Somali MP, Farah Abdi Hassan wounded in the ongoing attack at SYL hotel.

Spokesperson of OPM Somalia,  wounded in an ongoing attack on SYL hotel.

 MP, Osman Dhere, killed in an ongoing attack on SYL hotel

Abdihamid Fanah, Commander of the Turkish trained troops known as Haram'ad has been wounded in an ongoing attack on SYL hotel.

Wadajir deputy DC, Ali Indhoy injured in the ongoing attack at SYL hotel.

General Secretary of Banadir Region Administration, Feysal Arale, wounded in an ongoing attack on SYL hotel.

There are many disturbing video of alshabaab  patrolling the hotel and because of security reasons ,I cannot have them published here!