At least ten civilians were confirmed dead in an attack by extremists on a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, an official said Saturday, as security forces continued to battle terrorists holed up inside, the AFP reported, citing a security official.
“The security forces continued to neutralize terrorists who have been cordoned inside a room in the hotel building; most of the people were rescued but at least eight civilians were confirmed dead so far,” security commander Mohamed Abdikadir told AFP.
“The security forces rescued dozens of civilians including children who were trapped in the building safely,” he added.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab armed group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group.