Gunfire was heard earlier this morning from the grounds of the hotel in the capital of Somalia, which was seized on Sunday by members of the jihadist organization Shebabwhich has links to al-Qaeda.
Parliament announced it was postponing its scheduled session as the death toll remained unclear, with police putting the death toll at 10 and a security official telling AFP the death toll was four. The number of those rescued remains unknown.
National police spokesman Sadiq Dudise said many civilians and officials had been rescued, but gave no further details.
Shebab members with weapons and explosives stormed the Villa Rose hotel, which is located near the presidential residence, in the capital Mogadishu on Sunday. Government officials, among others, were on the premises at the time and, according to a police officer, when the attack took place, some of them escaped through the windows of the hotel.
Eyewitnesses reported two large explosions followed by gunfire that caused the residents of Bondhere district to flee the area. The hotel is a few blocks away from her president’s office Somalia Hasan Sheikh Mohamud.
On its website ‘Villa Rose’ is billed as ‘the safest in Mogadishu’ with metal detectors and a high perimeter fence.
“Shooting is still heard from inside the hotel and we hear sporadic explosions… we are still locked in our houses since last night when the siege began,” Ismail Haji, who lives near the hotel, told Reuters, as relayed by the Athens Agency. News.
The police operation has been taken over by the special forces, known as Ghassan and Haramkad, according to a police officer who was on the spot and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Those who launched the attack are still inside the hotel and are still fighting against the forces of Ghassan and Haramqand and the security forces are trying to rescue people trapped inside the hotel,” the officer added.
Government officials in Mogadishu often use the “Villa Rose” hotel for their meetings.
The jihadist group Shebab (“Youth”), which pledges allegiance to al-Qaida and has been waging a guerrilla war since 2007 to topple the Western-backed federal government, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The raid in the heart of the capital came two days after a large-scale operation by the Somali army in the central part of the country, in which at least 100 Shebab members, including ten of their leaders, were killed, according to the general staff.
In recent months, the government army has been escalating its operations against Shebab, with the support of tribal and civilian paramilitary organizations. He says he is making territorial gains in the context of the “total war” that the Somali president announced he would launch in August.
Shebab fighters were driven out of the country’s major cities in 2011—including Mogadishu—but remain entrenched in vast areas of the province from where they launch frequent and deadly attacks against security forces, government officials and civilians, especially in the capital.
Source: News Beast
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
