3 killed as gunmen attack 2 hotels in Somali capital

Gunmen in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu stormed a hotel Friday evening amid heavy explosions and intense gunfire, a policeman said.

The attack may be part of an attempt by Al-Shabaab to counter reports that it is close to being defeated by African Union-backed, United Nations supported forces (AMISOM), who have been working to prop up the weak Somalian government since 2007.

According to witnesses, at least four fighters armed with assault rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade attacked Hotel Wehelie, which is situated in the popular strategic road of Makka al-Mukarama.

The attacks struck Mogadishu simultaneously, the intelligence and security officials told CNN.

Al Shabab militants earlier claimed the attack on the Wehliya Hotel and said they had also laid siege to another hotel in the city.

The security agency said the gunmen were Shebab fighters, calling them “Ugus”, the government term for the militants, an acronym in Somali for the phrase, “the group that massacres the Somali people”.

“Car bombs rammed into the hotels named Wehliya and Siyaad”.

The clashes between government forces and the militants are said to be ongoing at the scene.

Video images taken by the Shebab and seen by AFP show several bodies scattered around the ransacked base, with one shot showing around a dozen bodies lined up.