Al Shabaab gunmen launched an attack on a hotel in Mogadishu that is popular with government officials. Al Shabaab fighters began the attack with an explosion at the gates of Villa Rosa Hotel, a heavily fortified hotel close to Somalia’s Presidential Palace and Godka Jilicow prison. Al-Shabaab immediately claimed the attack through their media affiliates, who claimed to be targeting Villa Somalia.
Initial reports say that elite government forces had arrived on the scene and were actively fighting the militants inside the hotel. A Somali Police spokesman said that it was not immediately clear how many Al Shabaab fighters were involved in the attack.
Some government officials were rescued after escaping through windows, the police told reporters. Among those rescued was the country’s minister of fisheries, Abdilahi Bidhan Warsame, and a senator, Dunia Mohamed. But, many were still trapped inside as the siege was still underway.
