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Somalia Hotel Attacked By Militants, More Than 20 Killed

Somalia Hotel Attacked By Militants, More Than 20 Killed


12-hours after an attack on a popular Somali hotel began, it was finally over and, in its wake, 24 bodies lined the floor. Six al-Shabaab gunmen stormed the hotel, claiming it was actually a government headquarters and opened fire on anyone unlucky enough to get in their path. After a long firefight, Somali government operatives were able to overcome the attack.

The Associated Press reports that 18 people who were at the hotel were killed in the attack, and another 28 were wounded. With all six al-Shabaab attackers being killed by Somali troops, the final death count reached two dozen. The actual number of dead militants has been disputed by the Muslim separatists. The government showed off just three of the attackers’ bodies and refused to say where the other three were. Al-Shabaab claims three members of its assault team escaped unharmed.

The hotel that was attacked is located in Mogadishu, a Somali city that was controlled by the Islamic extremists between 2007 and 2011. Al-Shabaab was eventually pushed out of the city by African Union forces. Since being chased out of Mogadishu, the terrorist group has launched a number of assaults inside the city.