This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/somalia-mogadishu-bomb-blast-nasa-hablod-hotel-a8024921.html
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 8 | Version 9 |
|---|---|
| Mogadishu attacks: At least 23 dead as two car bombs hit Somali capital with gunfire heard inside hotel | Mogadishu attacks: At least 23 dead as two car bombs hit Somali capital with gunfire heard inside hotel |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A suicide car bomb exploded outside a popular hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 30 others. | A suicide car bomb exploded outside a popular hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 30 others. |
| The explosion was the first of a series of three blasts. A second explosion occurred near the former parliament house where military personnel were stationed and a third happened when an attacker detonated a suicide vest close to the hotel. | The explosion was the first of a series of three blasts. A second explosion occurred near the former parliament house where military personnel were stationed and a third happened when an attacker detonated a suicide vest close to the hotel. |
| Police said more than 20 people, including government officials, are trapped inside the hotel where security forces are trying to end a siege of several hours by al-Shabab extremists. | Police said more than 20 people, including government officials, are trapped inside the hotel where security forces are trying to end a siege of several hours by al-Shabab extremists. |
| The fighting continued to rage inside the hotel as security forces pursued attackers inside the Nasa-Hablod hotel which is located 600 metres from the presidential palace and is known to be frequented by politicians and members of Mogadishu's elite. | The fighting continued to rage inside the hotel as security forces pursued attackers inside the Nasa-Hablod hotel which is located 600 metres from the presidential palace and is known to be frequented by politicians and members of Mogadishu's elite. |
| Captain Mohamed Hussein said three of the five attackers were killed and others hurled grenades and cut off the hotel's electricity as night fell. | |
| Police officer Ali Nur said : "Security forces have entered a small portion of the hotel building ... The exchange of gunfire is hellish." | |
| He added that most of those killed were policemen who were stationed close to the hotel's gate. A former lawmaker and a former government minister are also reported to have died. | He added that most of those killed were policemen who were stationed close to the hotel's gate. A former lawmaker and a former government minister are also reported to have died. |
| The al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack and said its fighters were still inside the hotel. | The al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack and said its fighters were still inside the hotel. |
| Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group's military operations spokesman, said: "We targeted ministers and security officials who were inside the hotel. We are fighting inside." | |
| Police said the death toll is likely to rise. | Police said the death toll is likely to rise. |
| The attack in Somalia's capital comes two weeks after more than 350 people were killed in a massive truck bombing on a busy Mogadishu street in the country's worst-ever attack. | The attack in Somalia's capital comes two weeks after more than 350 people were killed in a massive truck bombing on a busy Mogadishu street in the country's worst-ever attack. |
| The extremist group al-Shabab often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu but it did not comment on the attack earlier this month. | |
| Security officials said on this occasion the first attacker pretended his truck had broken down outside the hotel's gates. | |
| Police Colonel Mohamed Abdullahi said the attacker stopped outside the heavily fortified hotel and pretended to repair the truck before turning it around and detonating the explosives. | Police Colonel Mohamed Abdullahi said the attacker stopped outside the heavily fortified hotel and pretended to repair the truck before turning it around and detonating the explosives. |
| A huge cloud of smoke was seen above the scene and a witness described a dozen wrecked cars and bloodstains in front of the hotel. | |
| Police officer Nur Mohamed said: “The second car bomb occurred at the ex-parliament house where there were [military] forces." | |
| Captain Hussein said that the third blast heard at the scene of the attack outside the hotel came from one of the attackers who detonated a suicide vest. | |
| Since the blast two weeks ago, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has been visiting regional countries to seek more support for the fight against the extremist group. | Since the blast two weeks ago, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has been visiting regional countries to seek more support for the fight against the extremist group. |
| A 22,000-strong multinational African Union force in Somalia is expected to withdraw its forces and hand over the country's security to the Somali military by the end of 2020. | A 22,000-strong multinational African Union force in Somalia is expected to withdraw its forces and hand over the country's security to the Somali military by the end of 2020. |
| The US military also has stepped up military efforts against al-Shabab this year in Somalia, carrying out nearly 20 drone strikes. | The US military also has stepped up military efforts against al-Shabab this year in Somalia, carrying out nearly 20 drone strikes. |
| Additional reporting by agencies |