Militants bomb popular beach in Somalia ‘killing 20’

Up to 20 people were killed when al-Shabab suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a seafront hotel and restaurant in the heart of the Somali capital. However, the Somali government released a statement this morning saying its security officials finally took control of the restaurant in the early hours of today.

Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said that eight attackers carried out the assault.

Militants targeted the Beach View hotel and the Lido Seafood restaurant in the capital of Somalia.

President Jacob Zuma, on behalf of South Africa and the government, sent condolences to his counterpart, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, the people of Somalia and the families of those who were killed and injured.

Last week an African Union peacekeeping (AMISOM) base was attacked by Al-Shabab leaving over 61 Kenyan forces dead and 31 hostages.

“They killed almost 20 people, including women and children”, police officer Mohamed Abdirahman said, describing it as a “barbaric and brutal attack against innocent civilians”.

Al Shabaab disputed the claim and went ahead to publish graphic images showing bullet-riddled bodies of dozens of Kenyan soldiers.

There are varying reports about how the attack started but it appears that as the first vehicle bomb went off, at around 19:30 local time (16:30 GMT) on Thursday, the gunmen stormed the area. The country’s security minister said the alleged commander of the attack was captured alive by security forces.

“They randomly fired at the people sitting near the beach before entering the restaurant, ” an eyewitness told Associated Press.

The Somali armed insurgent group, al-Shabaab, which is considered a terrorist organization by the USA and has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility of the attack.

“I managed to escape with minor wounds, but there were people who were shot dead on the spot”, he added.