At least 12 people were killed as the siege of a Somali hotel entered a second day According to Reuters

By Abdi Sheikh

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – At least 12 people were killed when al Qaeda-linked militants attacked a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, taking hostages that authorities are still fighting to free 24 hours later, an intelligence official said Saturday.

The attackers entered the Hayat hotel on Friday night with two car bombs before opening fire. Somalia’s al Shabaab insurgency has claimed responsibility.

“So far we have confirmed that 12 people, most of them civilians, have died,” Mohammed, an intelligence officer who gave only one name, told Reuters.

Mohammed said the gunmen were holding an unspecified number of hostages on the second floor of the building, preventing authorities from using heavy weapons.

They also bombed the stairs to make it harder to get to certain floors, he said.

Somali national television said that by the time the siege entered its second day on Saturday night, authorities had secured 95 percent of the building. The broadcaster did not give an updated casualty count.

Those battling the militants inside the hotel included the Gaashan, a paramilitary force specializing in counter-insurgency, a former security official familiar with the force told Reuters.

Explosions blasted huge plumes of smoke through a busy junction on Friday night, and gunfire still crackled across the capital on Saturday night.

Explosions were heard on Friday night as government forces tried to retake control of the hotel from militants, witnesses said.

They said that large parts of the hotel were destroyed by the fighting.

Friday’s attack was the first major incident since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May.

The United States condemned the attack and said it steadfastly “supports counterterrorism efforts led by Somalia and the African Union.”

“We express our sincere condolences to the bereaved families, wish a full recovery to those injured, and commend our security forces,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. Somalia”.

Al Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors the jihadist group’s claims.

Al Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow the Somali government for more than 10 years. It wants to establish its own rules based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The Hayat Hotel is a popular spot with legislators and other government officials. There was no immediate information on whether any of them had been caught up in the siege.