Mogadishu: Following the Islamist Al-Shabab group's claim of responsibility for the attack, state media in Somalia reported on Saturday that security forces had ended the siege of a hotel in the nation's capital, Mogadishu.
The Al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels have been fighting the internationally supported federal government for more than 15 years, and they frequently target hotels because they frequently house senior Somali and foreign officials.
Security personnel "shot and killed" the rebels responsible for "the desperate terrorist attack on the Pearl Beach... in Mogadishu," according to SNTV on Saturday. Security personnel had also "shot and killed" those accountable after rescuing "many civilians from inside the hotel," it was stated.
Under the condition of anonymity, security and intelligence sources told AFP that the attack was successfully concluded.
Gunfire and explosions were heard at the hotel on Lido beach, according to witnesses. When a large explosion took place in front of the building, I was close to the Pearl Beach restaurant, according to witness Abdirahim Ali. I was able to get away, but there was a lot of gunfire after I did, and security forces flocked to the area. At the restaurant, Yaasin Nur observed that it was "full of people as it was recently renovated."
He said, "I'm worried because several of my coworkers went there and two of them aren't answering their phones.
Al-Shabab has been driven out of Somalia's major towns and cities, but it still holds sway in a sizable portion of the country's rural areas and continues to attack civilian and security targets, including in the capital.
Al-Shabab carried out a significant attack on the Elite, a popular hotel with officials at Lido Beach, in August 2020, which resulted in the deaths of 10 civilians and a police officer.
In that attack, it took security personnel four hours to regain control of the area. The most recent attack at Lido Beach draws attention to the country in the Horn of Africa's ongoing security issues as it attempts to recover from decades of conflict and natural disasters.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the president of Somalia, declared "all-out war" on Al-Shabab last year, mobilising Somalis to help drive out the terrorist organisation he referred to as "bedbugs"
His promise came after a 30-hour Al-Shabab siege on a hotel in Mogadishu in August 2022 resulted in 21 fatalities and 117 injuries.
The security forces' failure to safeguard a heavily guarded administrative district in the wake of the attack raised serious concerns. The country's deadliest attack in five years occurred in October 2022 when twin car bombings in Mogadishu killed 121 people and injured 333 others.
Also Read: Growing evidence of an explosion at the Ukrainian dam's collapse
In an operation supported by the African Union mission ATMIS and US airstrikes, the army and the "macawisley" militias have recently retaken large areas of land in the country's centre.
However, 54 Ugandan peacekeepers were killed by Al-Shabab fighters during an attack on an African Union base in the southern town of Bulo Marer.