Somalia: Al-Shabaab siege in Mogadishu hotel not yet over, gunfire still heard

A security officer gestures near the popular Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Saturday. Islamist militants stormed the hotel, engaging in an hours-long exchange of fire with security forces that left at least 20 people dead, according to police and witnesses. (Hassan Ali Elmi/AFP/Getty Images)

MOGADISHU, Somalia -  Somalia security forces are yet to end the Al-Shabaab siege in a popular hotel in Mogadishu, over 15 hours since the first gunshot was heard in the eatery, a serious concern on the ability of the forces who are set to take over security responsibilities from African Union troops.

The militants are still holed up in Villa Rose Hotel not far from the presidential palace and prison controlled by the National Intelligence and Security Agency [NISA]. Witnesses say the militants first attacked at around 8 pm local time in Mogadishu and their numbers are not yet established.

By Monday morning, gunshots were still being heard from the hotel in what analysts believe is one of the most complex attacks in the Horn of Africa nation. The hotel is tightly guarded and it is not clear how the militants managed to surpass the security checks where thorough verification is done.

“Tonight Khawarij group attacked a hotel in Bondhere district,” said a note sent to the journalists. “Security forces are conducting an operation to end the Khawarij attack.” Khawarij or "deviant sect,” is a term the government uses to refer to al-Shabab.

A security official who did not want to be named confirmed to VOA Somali that the militants targeted Villa Rose, a hotel frequented by government officials and politicians. The militants often target politicians and security forces in their cowardly attacks which end up killing innocent civilians.

Adam Aw Hirsi, the state minister of the Environment was one of the senior officials who escaped from the hotel attack. The government is yet to give the correct number of individuals who were injured or killed in the latest attack at the capital, the third targeting an eatery in as many months.

The security of Mogadishu has been worsening since the election of Hassan Sheikh as the country's president in May this year.

Police are still struggling to take over the building for the last 15 hours and it is not yet clear whether the Somali National Army [SNA] elite Danab Special Forces have joined the operation. In September, the militants attacked Hayat Hotel where at least 21 people were killed in a siege that lasted for several hours.

So far, many civilians have been rescued in the attack according to the police but the militants are still firing from one of the floors. In a statement, Al-Shabaab confirmed that its infantry team conducted an attack on the hotel but did not give a clear reason behind that latest onslaught.

The Al-Shabaab militants have been on the receiving end in recent months, with Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre confirming that over 500 militants have been killed and several injured in the operations. The United Nations report showed that the group has killed 600 people this year, injuring over 900 others.

GAROWE ONLINE