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Mogadishu (dpa) - At least 17 people were killed in a suicide attack on a hotel in the center of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
An assassin in a car blew himself up in front of the entrance to the Hotel Afrik on Sunday, reported a dpa reporter who was there.
The Islamist terrorist militia Al-Shabaab confessed to the bloody act.
The fundamentalists have been fighting for hegemony in the poor country in the Horn of Africa for years and control large parts of the south and the center.
Gunshots and explosions could be heard, the reporter reported.
One police officer, Ali Hassan, said attackers holed up in the hotel and fought with security forces.
At least 17 people were killed, including at least two attackers, said Hassan.
Around 30 people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
Several people were rescued from the hotel by security forces, including some members of the military.
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The Sunni terrorist militia Al-Shabaab repeatedly carries out attacks in Somalia.
She often targets hotels where politicians, security forces and representatives of civil society meet, such as the Hotel Afrik.
A force from the African Union (AU) and the USA are supporting the Somali government in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
However, the then US President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of almost all US troops from Somalia in December.
The US military is still flying air strikes against the group.
Somalia has been unstable for years and the development of a functioning state is proceeding very slowly.
An important milestone should take place on February 8th, when the country will elect a new president.
However, it will not be the first direct election with universal suffrage since 1969, as was hoped, but, as in previous years, an indirect vote based on the traditional clan system.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210131-99-246372 / 3