The Shebabs, who claimed responsibility for the attack and said they had attacked a spot frequented by authorities, attacked “a hotel on Lido Beach” south of Mogadishu, the government said in a statement. “Security forces have rescued many people from the building and the operation is still ongoing,” he added.
Gunshots could still be heard in the evening and ambulances could be seen near the hotel, an AFP journalist noted. “I was near the Pearl Beach restaurant (on the Lido beach) when there was a loud explosion in front of the building. I managed to escape, but then there was heavy gunfire and the security forces rushed the area,” a witness to the attack, Abdirahim Ali, told AFP.
“The restaurant was full of people because it was recently renovated,” said Yaasin Nur, another witness who said he was “concerned” about two of his colleagues who were there and “weren’t answering the phone.”
In August 2020, the Shebabs launched a full-scale attack on the Elite, another hotel on the Lido beach, killing ten civilians and a police officer. It took security forces four hours to regain control of the facility.
“Total war”
The Shebabs, allied with al-Qaeda, who are demanding the introduction of Islamic law in the country, have been fighting the federal government, which is supported by the international community, for more than fifteen years. After being expelled from the country’s capitals in 2011 and 2012, they remain firmly established in vast rural areas.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud declared “total war” on them.and launched a military offensive in September, supported in particular by American airstrikes. Yet the shebabs continue to carry out bloody retaliatory attacks, underscoring their ability to strike at the heart of Somali cities and military installations.
(with AFP)