Ambulances and security forces gather on the street outside the Afrik hotel in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. (AP Photo)
An attack on a hotel in the center of the Somali capital on Sunday has left more than nine people dead.
A vehicle loaded with explosives crashed into the entrance gate of the Afrik hotel, near Mogadishu’s strategic K-4 junction, on Sunday afternoon, police spokesman Sadiq Adan Ali said.
A number of armed gunmen then quickly invaded the hotel, opening fire on staff and patrons inside, he said. Government forces responded to the attack and gunfire could be heard coming from the hotel. Police rescued many people from the hotel, including its owner and an army general.
At least seven wounded civilians could be seen although police did not immediately give casualty figures.
Al-Shabab terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack through their Andalus radio station.
“We know, they have changed nothing from their usual tactic, ramming explosives into a building and following up, assaulting with rifles,” said Ali.
In a separate incident, at least eight children have died and scores of others were wounded when a bomb went off in the Golweyn area, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the coastal town of Merca, some 120 kilometers (74 miles) south of Mogadishu.
For years, the terrorists have been fighting for supremacy in the impoverished country in the Horn of Africa and control large parts of the south and center.
On Feb. 8, Somalia is scheduled to hold a presidential election.
Mogadishu Spring Without Flowers 
