Six civilians killed in Somalia hotel siege

Six civilians were killed and 10 wounded in a six-hour siege by Islamist Al-Shabaab militants at a beachside hotel in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, police said Saturday.

The Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists have been waging an insurgency against the internationally backed federal government for more than 15 years and have often targeted hotels, which tend to host high-ranking Somali and foreign officials.

“Six civilians were martyred in the attack... and 10 others were wounded. Three brave members of the security forces were martyred during the rescue operation,” the Somali Police Force said in a statement.

The assault, for which Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility, began just before 8 pm on Friday when seven attackers stormed the Pearl Beach hotel, a popular spot at Lido Beach along Mogadishu’s coastline.

It ended at around 2 am, police said, after a fierce gunfight between security forces and the militants, all of whom were killed during the battle.

“The security forces managed to rescue 84 people including women and children and elderly people,” the police statement added. _Agencies