Somalia: At least 29 dead as hotel siege ends after 'hellish' gun battle
Two security officials have been sacked as the 12-hour siege at a hotel near the presidential palace in the capital ends.
Sunday 29 October 2017 17:46, UK
At least 29 people were killed in an Islamist attack on a hotel in Mogadishu, with Somali security forces bringing the siege to an end after 12 hours.
The government has sacked two security officials over their failure to prevent repeated attacks in Somalia's capital.
Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for this weekend's terrorist attack, broadcasting a statement on its Andalus radio station saying its "Mujahedeen fighters" were targeting "apostate officials".
Police described a "hellish" gun battle on Saturday night as security forces stormed the building, with one officer confirming there were at least 29 deaths this morning and warning the number may rise.
It was a bloody reminder of the insurgent threat in Somalia and followed just two weeks after a pair of bombings in the city killed more than 350 people, with that death toll also expected to rise.
Al Shabaab, which is affiliated with al Qaeda is seeking to overthrow the UN-backed Somali government, has not claimed responsibility for the deadliest bombing in Somalia's history.
Saturday's attack began when a suicide car bomb rammed into the gates of the Nashablod Two hotel and exploded, near to the presidential palace in an area popular with Mogadishu's political class.
It was followed by another car bomb explosion at a nearby intersection and the reported detonation of suicide vests by al Shabaab fighters inside the hotel.
Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Amin ambulances, accused security forces of preventing the emergency service access to the site.
"After the hotel operation was over, we wanted to transport the casualties (but) all entrances of the scene were blocked by security forces," Mr Abdirahman said.
It is the latest incident in a growing crisis for Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's government, which lost its defence minister and chief of army staff to surprise resignations this month.
On Sunday, the government announced it had sacked the national police commander Abdihakin Dahir Saiid, as well as the director general of the National Intelligence Security Agency, Abdullahi Mohamed Ali.
Somalia's president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has been visiting other countries in the east African region to request their support in the fight against al Shabaab following the previous attacks.
A multinational African Union force with 22,000 troops in Somalia is expected to withdraw by the end of 2020.
The US military has increased its strikes against al Shabaab this year, with almost 20 drone missions against the terror group.