All 5 Attackers Killed, Ending Somalia Hotel Siege in Which 3 Soldiers Died

BY OMAR FARUK

9:09 AM EDT, March 15, 2024

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Security forces in Somalia say they have killed all five attackers who laid siege to a hotel in a normally secure area of the capital.

Police spokesperson Kasim Roble said Friday that three soldiers were killed and 27 people injured in the Thursday night attack on the SYL Hotel in Mogadishu.

The Somali extremist group al-Shabab said on Telegram on Thursday that its fighters managed to penetrate the hotel, which is not far from the presidential palace and is patronized by government officials.

“The situation is now calm, the hotel is secure now, and lawmakers and other hotel residents started returning, and the security situation returned to normal,” Roble said.

Journalists were barred from accessing the hotel after the siege ended.

Attacks in the seaside capital had declined in recent weeks as security was beefed up. Al-Shabab, which opposes Somalia’s central government, has been responsible for many deadly attacks on hotels and other places in the past.

The last major attack in Mogadishu was in October 2022, when at least 120 civilians were killed in twin car bombings at a busy intersection.

Adam Alcodray stands outside Dearborn High School on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 in Dearborn Mich. Alcodray, 14, is a 9th grader at the school which makes certain allowances for students observing Ramadan. Alcodray says Ramadan carries more significance this year given the plight of people in Gaza. “When you look at what the children are eating in Gaza, you appreciate what your mom makes,” he said. “When you’re having a bad day, realize what they are going through.”

Somalia’s government is conducting a high-profile offensive against the extremist group, which the United States has described as one of al-Qaida’s deadliest organizations. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declared “total war” against the extremists, who control large parts of central and southern Somalia and have been the target of scores of U.S. airstrikes in recent years.