MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) – A hotel in the capital of Somalia has been hit by an explosion and attack by jihadist rebels, police have confirmed.
A vehicle loaded with explosives crashed into the entrance gate of the African hotel near Mogadishu’s strategic K-4 intersection on Sunday afternoon, police spokesman Sadiq Adan Ali said.
A number of armed gunmen then quickly raided the hotel and opened fire on staff and customers inside, he said. Government forces responded to the attack and gunfire could be heard from the hotel. Police rescued many people from the hotel, including the owner and an army general.
At least seven injured civilians were seen, although the police did not immediately state the number of victims.
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Al-Shabab, Somali homegrown jihadist rebels, claimed responsibility for the attack through their radio station in Andalusia.
Hundreds of newly trained Al-Shabab fighters conducted military exercises near Mogadishu, Somalia in 2011.
(AP)
“We know, they haven’t changed anything from their usual tactics, ramming and tracking explosives into a building, attacking with guns,” Ali said.
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At least eight children were killed in a separate incident and dozens more were injured when a bomb went off in the Golweyn area, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the coastal town of Merca, about 120 kilometers (74 miles) south. from Mogadishu.