Somali security forces have after 30 hours ended the deadly siege at a hotel in the capital Mogadishu, reported AFP quoting a security commander.
Speaking to AFP under the condition of anonymity the commander said that “the security forces have ended the siege now and the gunmen are dead, we’ve had no incoming gunfire from the building in the past hour.” He said that any potential bombs that may have been planted in the building still needed to be removed.
Watch | Terror attack in Mogadishu: Al-Shabab group attacks a hotel in Somalia
However, he offered no further comment on the total number of civilian or security casualties or the number of Al-Shabaab fighters who had been killed, adding that the government would issue a press briefing on Sunday morning.
Thirteen people were killed and dozens more were hurt in the Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab’s attack on the well-known Hayat Hotel.
Also read | 16 killed in attack on Mogadishu hotel; Jihadist group Al-Shabaab takes onus
Abdiaziz Abu-Musab, an Al-Shabaab spokesperson, as per AFP stated earlier on Saturday that the organisation’s forces were still in charge of the structure and had “inflicted heavy casualties.”
The jihadists asserted that they held hostages during the siege, including government and security personnel, in a statement released by the group’s press agency and cited by the SITE Intelligence monitoring group.
The attack has been sharply criticised by Somalia’s allies, including the US, UK, and Turkey as well as by the UN and ATMIS, the African Union force tasked with assisting Somali forces to take over primary responsibility for security by the end of 2024.
(With inputs from agencies)
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