Over 30 hours of intense fighting between Somali forces and terrorist group Al-Shabaab at Mogadishu’s Hayat hotel left 21 people dead and 117 injured, Somali officials said on Sunday. Militants stormed the hotel, frequently visited by government officials, on Friday and detonated explosives and fired at civilians.
Authorities said elite Somali forces ended the siege on Sunday after dozens of militants fired at forces from rooms in the hotel. The Somali Police Command told the media that security forces killed all Al-Shabaab members who stormed the hotel after a “bloody battle.” It noted that they rescued 106 people and are now in full control of the hotel.
The command did not mention whether Somali forces sustained any casualties.
More than 30 already feared killed in Mumbai-like siege of Hayat Hotel in Somalia’s #Mogadishu. Toll likely to increase.
— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) August 20, 2022
Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab carrying out the attack.
Jihad never sleeps. pic.twitter.com/SqcfzT4Gsp
The Health Ministry said on Sunday that of the 117 injured, 15 are in serious condition. “The government is taking special responsibility for the general welfare of the affected people, especially those with serious injuries,” it noted.
The police also said that militants indiscriminately shot at civilians trying to flee the hotel premises. A survivor told Reuters that he fled with dozens of people, but when he exited the hotel, only eight from his group had survived.
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre visited the wounded victims and promised to send those in critical condition abroad for medical treatment. The PM also vowed to hold government officials who neglected their duties accountable.
The @UN in #Somalia strongly condemns the Al-Shabaab attack on the Hayat Hotel in #Mogadishu, and extends its condolences to the victims' families. It wishes a speedy recovery for the injured, and expresses its solidarity with all #Somalis in their fight against #terrorism. pic.twitter.com/KjPQiYxaTt
— UNSOM (@UNSomalia) August 20, 2022
It marked the deadliest attack in Somalia since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May. Al-Shabaab said the attack was in retaliation to Mohamud’s remarks that his government would crack down on the militants both militarily and economically. The President has vowed to wage a “multi-front war” against Al-Shabaab, including by providing basic services to areas controlled by the group.
The international community condemned the attack and vowed to continue supporting Somalia’s fight against extremists. United States Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said Washington “remains steadfast in our support of Somali and African Union-led efforts to counter terrorism and build a secure and prosperous future.”
India strongly condemns the attack on Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu and expresses heartfelt condolences to the victims & families of this cowardly act of terrorism.
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) August 20, 2022
India stands with the Government and people of Somalia in their fight against terrorism.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, tweeted that New Delhi condemned the “cowardly attack” and “stands with the Government and people of Somalia in their fight against terrorism.” The United Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council also deplored the attack.
Al-Shabaab has recently increased attacks on security forces and civilians across the country. In July, the group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Lower Shabelle region that killed 20 people, including the mayor of a town. Since March, Al-Shabaab has launched multiple suicide bombings across the country, including in Mogadishu, and killed over 50 people.
The United States strongly condemns the al-Shabaab hotel attack in #Mogadishu. We extend condolences to the families of loved ones killed, wish a full recovery to the injured, & pledge continued support for #Somalia to hold murderers accountable & build when others destroy. 🇺🇸🇸🇴
— U.S. Embassy Mogadishu, Somalia (@US2SOMALIA) August 20, 2022
The group also carried out an attack against African Union military base in Southern Somalia in May, killing 30 Burundian peacekeepers.
Al Shabaab, or ‘the youth’, is an al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist group formed in the early 2000s to establish an Islamic state in Somalia. The group has carried out deadly attacks, including suicide bombings, in Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda, killing more than 4,000 civilians over the last ten years.