At least 15 people have been killed in a hostage situation in the Somali capital Mogadishu. The hostage situation is being led by terrorists from the Al-Shabaab movement.
On Friday evening, the jihadists detonated two car bombs at the Hayat Hotel, located in the capital. They then entered the building. The security forces still failed to eliminate the terrorists on Saturday morning. The hotel has been partially destroyed.
Eyewitness Abdullahi Hussein tells the AP by telephone that he saw bodies on the ground at the reception. In addition to the fifteen dead, at least nine victims have been taken to hospital.
The hotel near the city’s airport was a popular meeting place for government employees and business people. This also makes the hotel a logical target for Al-Shabaab. Many journalists also gather in the hotel.
The radical Muslim movement Al-Shabaab (youth) has been wreaking havoc in Somalia for fifteen years. The movement strives for a strict Islamic state. They have power in much of the south and center of the country but are trying to extend it to the border of Ethiopia.
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