Somalia: the authorities regained control of the hotel attacked by the Shebabs in Mogadishu
An ambulance carrying an injured person to Kalkaal hospital following the attack by Shebabs on the Villa Rose hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, November 28, 2022. REUTERS - FEISAL OMAR
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In Somalia, a hotel in the center of Mogadishu, where high personalities traditionally reside, has been targeted since Sunday evening by Shebabs.
The police spokesman announced, in the afternoon of this Monday, November 28, the end of the siege of the hotel.
The death toll is at least eight civilians, according to the police.
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The siege ended in the middle of the afternoon, announced the police spokesman, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
A siege that will have lasted nearly 20 hours.
"
The search operation at the Villa Rose hotel is over
," police spokesman Sadik Dudishe told reporters.
The Shebabs "
killed 8 civilians who were in the hotel and the security forces managed to rescue about 60 of them, and none were injured
", said Mr. Dudishe, adding that a member of the security forces had also been killed.
The Somali police spokesman said the attack was carried out for almost 21 hours by six people and "
five were shot and one blew himself up
".
The attack began on Sunday evening with a fairly standard modus operandi.
A car bomb had exploded at the entrance of the hotel before a commando infiltrated inside.
It was a new symbolic place that was struck.
After the Hayat hotel this summer
, this time it was the Villa Rose hotel, a hotel very popular with senior officials and parliamentarians, located near the Villa Somalia presidential palace, which was targeted.
According to local media, at least one minister was injured.
Adam Haw Hirsi, Minister of the Environment, declared on Twitter, Sunday evening, to be safe and sound.
Government officials managed to escape through the windows of the hotel.
The neighborhood was cordoned off by security forces.
Gunshots and explosions were heard Monday morning.
According to an official of the Somali security services, contacted by AFP, the attackers were
"
stuck in a room of the building
"
from where the security forces therefore managed to dislodge them in the afternoon.
The latest toll reports at least eight civilians killed.
The police also added that the attack was carried out by six people, "
five of whom were shot and one blew himself up
".
Read also: Somalia: an attack by Shebabs in Mogadishu in a context of “total war”
This new attack comes as President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud decided last summer to engage in a "
total war
" against the Shebabs.
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Somalia
Shebabs
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Terrorism