Al-Shabab gunmen have stormed and laid siege to a hotel in central Somalia as government officials and tribal elders met to discuss action against the outfit.
The militant group,Al Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Cairo Hotel in the town of Beledweyne in a statement. And said it had killed over 10 people.
Dahir Amin Jesow, a federal lawmaker from Beledweyne, the capital of the Hiraan region, said at least four people had been killed. Hours after the initial attack, government forces were trying to flush out al Shabaab fighters, some of whom had been killed in nearby alleys, Jesow said.
Abdullahi Fidow, a clan elder in Beledweyne, said the hotel meeting was meant to discuss ways of countering al Shabaab in the region.
“I was supposed to attend the meeting but got delayed because I was busy with a family issue. The blasts occurred before I reached the hotel,” he said.
Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab frequently launches bombings and gun attacks in the fragile Horn of Africa nation as it tries to topple the government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
“We first heard a huge blast followed by gunfire, then another blast was heard,” said Ali Suleiman, a shopkeeper who witnessed the attack.
Parts of the Qahira Hotel were reduced to rubble as government troops and gunmen exchanged fire, Suleiman added.
Halima Nur, a witness who lives near the hotel, said gunfire could be heard intermittently as the siege continued.
Reuters/Shakirat Sadiq
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