Security forces in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu have been engaged in hours-long gun battle with militants in an attack claimed by the al Shabaab. The assailants are believed to have held an unspecified number of hostages near the Maka al-Mukarama hotel on one of Mogadishu’s streets.
Preliminary reports indicate at least 25 people have been confirmed dead and over 40 others seriously injured in the attack that began yesternight. At about 8 pm on Thursday night, a car laden with explosives was detonated outside the hotel leading to the deaths of several people, who were sitting outside the hotel and restaurants in the area. A second explosion some minutes to 10 pm at KM 4 Junction which is barely a kilometer away was heard.
The attack appears to fit the new MO of the al Shabaab similar to what was experienced in January in neighboring Kenya’s capital where the attackers held hostages in the hours-long siege. Al Shabaab has been steadily losing ground and as such, the attack could be a way to try an regain the lost fame.
