On Tuesday, Somali security forces killed five gunmen from the Somali youth movement while trying to storm a hotel near the presidential compound in the capital, Mogadishu.
The Associated Press quoted Somali security sources as saying that the security forces killed three of the attackers near the gate of the presidential compound, before killing two others in the hotel garage, which is frequented by officials and the rich, after an exchange of fire that lasted about two hours.
The agency also quoted a Somali police officer as saying that the attackers used hand grenades, noting that twenty people, including government officials, were evacuated from the hotel while the militants attempted to storm it.
In a statement on its Al-Andalus radio station, the attack was adopted by Al-Shabaab, which has been attacking hotels and restaurants frequented by government and foreign officials in Mogadishu. It is worth noting that this attack is the first of its kind in four months.
For its part, Anatolia News Agency, quoting Somali sources, said that at least six people were wounded in the attack, including two deputies in the Somali parliament.