Al Shabaab stepped up its attacks on the Somalia capital, Mogadishu, and outlying areas.
Siyad hotel not far from Somalia's Preisidential Palace was attacked to a blast ,shooting is still heard.#Somalia More update to follow.
— Mohamed Moalimuu (@MOALIMUU) July 10, 2015
Somalia’s al-Shabaab Islamist militant group said it attacked two hotels in the capital Mogadishu on Friday night.
Car bombs rammed into the hotels named Wehliya and Siyaad.
A suicide car bomb struck a hotel in the middle of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Friday before gunmen entered and started shooting, police said.
“Then our fighters stormed in. Fighting goes on inside both hotels,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations, told Reuters.
Al Shabaab Islamist militants claimed responsibility for the attack on the Wehliya Hotel and said they had also laid siege to another hotel in the city.
“We believe they are al Shabaab fighters. So far we understand they killed four people inside the (Wehliya) hotel,” said Nur Ali, a police officer, adding fighting was still going on inside.
Another police officer Omar Ali, said security forces had arrived at Wehliya and were engaging the attackers on the perimeter. The hotel is frequented by top government officials.
Weheliye is located near Villa Somalia, the seat of the FGS.
Another reports that an AMISOM base located in the heart of the city has also been shelled with mortar guns. Neither casualties nor damages inflicted by the attacks is yet to surface.
Al Shabaab attacked in various modes in at least six areas in Mogadishu and Afgooye for the past two days in addition to today’s simultaneous attacks.
NISA officer with 3 other soldiers were shot dead near Jaziira beach after armed me with a car opened them fire before escaping #Somalia
— Mohamed Moalimuu (@MOALIMUU) July 9, 2015
Breaking: Afgoye town is tense after a former DC Col.Abdulahi Iidey has been shot dead in the market. Culprit is wounded & caught.#Somalia
— Mohamed Moalimuu (@MOALIMUU) July 8, 2015
Reuters/Twitter/Various
