Militant Attack on Beachfront Hotel in Somalia Results in 9 Deaths

The Somalian government reports that the al-Shabab militants’ attack on a hotel in Mogadishu on Friday has been terminated.

The militants who stormed the Pearl Beach hotel on Friday evening were successfully neutralized, according to state media, and many civilians were saved.

According to Somalia’s police, the attack left nine people dead and 10 others hurt.

Six civilians and three members of the security forces were killed, according to a statement from the Somali Police Command.

84 people, including children, women, and elderly people, were rescued from the scene of the attack, according to the police.

Security forces in Somalia had been working nonstop to take out the al-Shabab terrorists who attacked the beachfront hotel.

According to eyewitness accounts given to VOA’s Somali Service, the attack started with at least two explosions outside the Pearl Beach Hotel, and then gunmen stormed the building.

Witnesses reported hearing gunfire inside the building, where some people were able to escape through the windows and back doors while others were reported to be trapped inside.

One witness told VOA Somali that “special elite forces gained access to the entry into the upper floors of the hotel.”

The attack has been blamed on the al-Shabab group, an affiliate of al-Qaida.

In a statement, the organization claimed that “the mujahideen managed to enter the Pearl Beach hotel and are still fully in control.”

Politicians and people from the Somali diaspora visiting the capital city frequently visit Lido Beach, which is close to the hotel at the center of the attack.

After the government deployed freshly trained military police in and around the city in mid-April, Mogadishu experienced a period of comparatively calm before this incident. However, the group’s acts of violence have caused devastation in other regions of the nation.

A massive explosion caused by an unexploded ordinance killed at least 27 people, including children, and injured more than 50 others on Friday in the village of Muraale, which is situated between the Qoryooley and Jannaale districts.

According to Abdirahman Yusuf Abdinur, the mayor of Jannaale, “some people had taken unexploded explosives from a nearby field and used it for fire to cook food, but tragically, the device exploded, resulting in the deaths of 27 people, including children, mother, father, and youths.”

In accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670, Somalia earlier on Friday declared that it was prepared to take over security responsibilities from the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission there. The AU is scheduled to withdraw its 2,000 troops from Somalia by the end of June.

According to a statement from Somalia’s Ministry of Defense, sufficient security forces have been assembled who will take over management of the security duties currently carried out by the departing AU troops.

By December 31, 2024, the AU peace mission is anticipated to have completely left Somalia.

This article first appeared in the Somali Service of VOA.