Al-Shabab fighters killed as overnight siege of Mogadishu hotel ends | Al-Shabab News

Storming of hotel near Somalia’s presidential palace highlights resilience of the al-Qaeda affiliate.

A 13-hour siege of a popular hotel near government buildings in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has ended after the al-Shabab fighters who had taken control of the building were killed by security forces.

“All the terrorist gunmen were killed, and the situation has returned to normal now,” police officer Abdirahim Yusuf told the Agence France-Presse news agency on Friday. “The security forces are carrying out a thorough clearance and investigations.” He didn’t mention how many fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked group were killed.

Fighters had stormed the SYL Hotel in a hail of bullets late on Thursday, and al-Shabab claimed responsibility in a brief statement.

The attack on the hotel, popular with government officials, demonstrated the group’s continued ability to strike the capital despite a major military offensive by the internationally backed federal government and local clan militias, supported by an African Union (AU) mission and United States air strikes.

As part of the attack, a suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives in front of the hotel, killing at least five people, the German Press Agency dpa reported.

“As far as we know, one terrorist, three hotel security officers and two members of the security services were killed in the attack,” police spokesman Qasim Ahmed Roble said on Friday.

Omar Mahmood, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said it was a “highly significant attack that shatters a sense of calm in Mogadishu”.

“It also serves as a signal from al-Shabab that despite much heralded efforts by this government to weaken them, the group remains active and resilient and even able to hit the government close to home,” Mahmood added.

The SYL Hotel has been the target of several al-Shabab attacks despite being in a high-security area of the city due to its location opposite the presidential palace.

Somali security officers take positions on the rooftop at a section of the SYL Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on March 15, 2024 [Feisal Omar/Reuters]

Strong presence

Al-Shabab has been waging war against the Somali government for more than 16 years.

The armed group was born out of Somalia’s many years of anarchy after a 1991 civil war. Over time, an AU-led force with the backing of the US and other countries pushed the group out of Mogadishu.

Since then, al-Shabab has been battling the government and the AU-mandated peacekeeping mission as it seeks to establish a new administration based on its interpretation of Islamic law.

It retains a strong presence in rural Somalia and has carried out numerous attacks against political, security and civilian targets, including in Mogadishu.

In August 2022, 21 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a 30-hour siege on the Hayat Hotel in the capital. Two months later, 100 people were killed and 300 were wounded in twin car bombings in Mogadishu.

In February this year, at least 10 people were killed  in multiple attacks in a crowded market in Mogadishu.

That same month, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on the General Gordon military base in Mogadishu, which killed several people, including four Emirati soldiers and a Bahraini military officer.

Al-Shabab sees the United Arab Emirates as an “enemy” of Islamic law for backing the Somali government in battling the armed group.

It has also carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya in retaliation for Nairobi’s provision of troops and material to the AU force in Somalia.

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Al-Shabab claims attack on UAE military in Somalia | Al-Shabab News

The group claimed the attack as it considers the UAE an ‘enemy’ for backing the Somali government.

Three Emirati troops and a Bahraini military officer have been killed in an attack in Somalia.

Al-Qaeda-linked armed group Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack on a training mission at a military base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities said on Sunday.

The attack on Saturday targeted troops at the General Gordon military base. Details about the attack and casualties remain scarce. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud offered his condolences to the UAE.

The UAE’s Ministry of Defence announced the death of three of its troops and a Bahraini soldier in a “terrorist act”, adding only that two others were wounded.

Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat, offered condolences to those killed and a quick recovery for those wounded.

“No treacherous act will prevent us from continuing the message of security and safety and combating extremism and terrorism in all its forms,” Gargash wrote on X.

Bahrain, an island nation in the Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia, did not immediately acknowledge the attack.

Al-Shabab claimed the attack in a statement online, alleging it killed multiple people involved in the Emirati military effort. It described the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, as an “enemy” of Islamic law for its backing of the Somali government in battling the armed group.

Al-Shabab, or “the youth” in Arabic, was born out of Somalia’s many years of anarchy following a 1991 civil war. The affiliate of al-Qaeda once held Mogadishu. Over time, an African Union (AU)-led force, with the backing of the United States and other countries, pushed the group out of the capital.

Since then, al-Shabab has been battling the country’s federal government and the AU-mandated peacekeeping mission as it seeks to establish a new government based on its interpretation of Islamic law.

The group routinely carries out bombings in highly densely populated areas across the country.

On Tuesday, at least 10 people were killed and about 20 were injured in multiple attacks in a crowded market in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab has carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya as well since Nairobi provides troops and materiel to the AU force in the country.

The UAE in recent years has increasingly invested in ports in East Africa, including in Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region.

Securing Somalia fits into the Emirates’ wider concerns about security in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Somali piracy has recently resumed after several years amid the attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.

In 2019, al-Shabab claimed an attack that killed a man working for Dubai’s P&O Ports.

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Al-Shabab captures UN helicopter with 6 aid workers in central Somalia | Al-Shabab News

BREAKING,

This is a breaking news story, more details to follow.

A helicopter belonging to the United Nations mission in Somalia has been captured by al-Shabab after accidentally landing on Wednesday afternoon in territory held by the armed group, according to multiple local reports.

At least six aid workers who were on the plane are now being held by the al-Qaeda-linked armed group which has wreaked violence in the Horn of Africa for decades.

The helicopter landed close to Gaboon village in the Galgaduud region due to a technical glitch, according to a UN memo seen by Al Jazeera. A UN official in Mogadishu also confirmed the incident to Al Jazeera.

According to the memo, there were nine passengers on the plane including military personnel and a third-party contractor. Six of them were reportedly taken by the group while 2 passengers escaped and remain at large.

“All UN flights have been temporarily suspended in the vicinity until further notice,” part of the memo read.

Other details including the nationality of those on board, remain unclear. The Somali government is also yet to comment on the reports.

 

More to come…

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