(Mogadishu) Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud on Tuesday pledged “all-out war” to eliminate radical Al-Shabaab Islamists, in his first statement to the nation since the bloody attack on a hotel in Mogadishu that left at least 21 dead and 117 injured .
Posted at 3:26 p.m.
“I know the people of Somalia are tired of endless condolences and mourning, I know you lose respectable people in every attack carried out by the terrorists,” President Mohamoud said.
“I therefore invite you to prepare for an all-out war against these ruthless people who are hostile to our peace,” he said in a statement issued by the presidency.
Last weekend’s attack was the deadliest in the capital since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud was elected in mid-May and took office in early August.
The head of state called a meeting of the national security committee on Tuesday, in the presence of the prime minister, the interior minister and the foreign minister, as well as the heads of the country’s security services.
“We are determined to weaken the terrorists who are destroying our people until all areas they control are liberated, this is a priority for our government. The preparation and implementation of this plan are ongoing,” he said, without giving further details.
The radical Islamists shebab, a group linked to Al-Qaeda which has been fighting the Somali government for 15 years, launched a major attack on the Hayat hotel in Mogadishu on Friday evening.
They had taken over the hotel, a popular meeting place for government officials, crowded on this Muslim day of rest, detonating bombs and firing guns.
The attack was completed overnight from Saturday to Sunday after an intervention by security forces.
The Shebab were driven out of the main cities of this Horn of Africa country, including Mogadishu in 2011, but remain established in large rural areas and remain a major threat to the authorities.