Monrovia – Al-Shabaab militants attacked hotels in central Somalia. Al Jazeera reported as government officials and local elders met there to discuss actions against terrorist groups. The raiders exploded a car bomb before engaging in a firefight with security forces placed in the building.
The Muslim group has said it claimed responsibility for the attack, resulting in the deaths of 10 people. The number of deaths has not been independently verified. Witnesses reportedly said many of the people attending the meeting had been rescued.
“We need to bring in heavy weapons to negate the situation,” the BBC quoted Somali lawmakers as saying, as the shootout continued.
Part of the Cairo Hotel, attacked by gunmen, was destroyed. It is located in Berredwayne, near the border with Ethiopia.
The Somali government has been actively fighting Al-Shabaab for many years. Al-Qaeda-related groups are using suicide bombings, assassinations and ambushings as part of their campaign to establish an Islamic state in the country.
