Al-shabaab raid hotel in Mogadishu

Mogadishu (GO) - Al-Qaeda affiliates in Africa, the Al-shabaab, waged a perilous attack in one of most frequented hotel within Mogadishu, the Somalia capital, witnesses said, while noting the devastated impact of the Thursday evening incident.

The militants attacked SYL Hotel within Mogadishu, a city which has enjoyed relative calmness in the last few months, after authorities scaled up security and surveillance. The capital is one of most heavily guarded centre within the country.

Al-Shabab, which is fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia, stormed the hotel using an explosion followed by armed fighters, a security source who witnessed the incident said.

The source says the explosion may been from Person-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (PBIED). This is the first time a major attack is launched by the group in the capital, Mogadishu. The attack comes at the time Muslims around the world are observing Ramadan, the Holy Month of fasting.

SYL Hotel was previously targeted by al-Shabaab multiple times. The hotel is frequented by ordinary citizens as well as politicians, security analysts observe. Previous, a number of people have been killed in the same premises, which has repeatedly been renovated and, or rebranded to attract customers.

Moments after the explosion, Al-Shabaab claimed its fighters attacked a hotel in central Mogadishu. The attack started with an explosion, al-Shabaab claimed in a message via Telegram, the militants explained in a text, shortly after news about the attack went viral.

Government security agencies have not yet commented on the incident but the group had threatened to scale up attacks during the Holy Month of Ramadan. Security agencies in Somalia had been mobilised to observe vigilance throughout fasting period.

The attack comes barely three days after the US Treasury Department blacklisted 16 individuals and companies believed to be sponsoring Al-shabaab activities. Among those affected were Kenyan-based Crown Bus Services and Haleel Commodities Limited group.

So far, the number of casualties rensins unknown but the premises are frequented by civilians, security officers and senior government officials at the Month of Ramadan. The impact of the explosion has been termed as 'devastating '.

Al-shabaab runs a budget of close to $100 annually, Department of Treasury noted, adding that the group is still a huge 'threat' to security and safety of its citizens in East Africa. Of this amount, $24 million goes to purchase of weapons and the remainder is used for logistics.

There have been deliberate attempts to contain the group's sources of income, with the government of Somalia closing 70 mobile money transfer firms and over 250 bank accounts associated with Alshabaab. Businesses remitting Zakat have also been put on surveillance.

Both the US Africa Command and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) are helping the Somali National Army (SNA) counter the militants in central and southern regions. Many strategic regions have been liberated from the group.

GAROWE ONLINE