six civilians and three policemen killed in Mogadishu hotel attack by radical Islamists

Six civilians and three members of the security forces were killed in the attack on a hotel in Mogadishu by a commando of Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab radical Islamists, Somali police announced on Saturday (June 10th). They were neutralized in the night from Friday to Saturday after six hours of siege. Ten civilians were injured and “Security forces managed to save 84 people, including women, children and the elderly”police said in a statement.

The attack, claimed by Islamist fighters close to al-Qaeda, began shortly before 8 p.m. (local time) on Friday, when seven people then stormed the Pearl Beach hotel on the seafront in Mogadishu. . It ended around 2 a.m., according to the police, after exchanges of fire between the police and the attackers, who were all killed.

Hotels often targeted

Several ambulances were parked nearby, an AFP journalist noted. “I was near the Pearl Beach restaurant when a loud explosion sounded in front of the building”a witness, Abdirahim Ali, told AFP. “I managed to escape, but then there was heavy shooting and the security forces came in force”.

The shebabswho demand the establishment of Islamic law in the country, have been fighting for more than fifteen years the federal government supported by the international community. They often target hotels that usually host senior Somali and foreign officials.