Siege in Mogadishu
The armed group linked to Al Qaida, which claimed responsibility for the siege, has been fighting to topple the Somali government for more than 10 years.
The armed group linked to Al Qaida, which claimed responsibility for the siege, has been fighting to topple the Somali government for more than 10 years.
The government on December 22 directed the world body to close the Movcon facility which is a special terminal that is used by the UN staff and other foreign visitors in Mogadishu.
Somali security forces said on Thursday they have killed 12 senior fighters of al-Shabab, a terror group, in a sting operation conducted in Mogadishu.
Witnesses said they heard a huge blast at Mogadishu's Fagah junction.
The attack started on Sunday afternoon after the militants detonated a car bomb that ripped off the hotel's gates before storming inside the facility.
“In coordination with the federal government of Somalia, US Africa Command (Africom) conducted three airstrikes in two locations targeting Al-Shabaab militants on December 29,” Africom said in a statement.
Saturday’s attack was the third deadliest in Mogadishu’s recent history after an explosion in October 2011 killed more than 100 people.
No terrorist group has claimed the responsibility for the attack.
There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.
Zakia Hussein, the deputy commissioner of the Somali Police Force, said security forces ended a seven-hour siege on popular SYL Hotel after killing all the five attackers.
