Somali authorities confirmed on Saturday that 32 people were killed and 63 others injured in an attack on a beach hotel in Mogadishu the previous evening. The assault was claimed by al-Shabab, an al-Qaida affiliate in East Africa, through its radio broadcast.
Police spokesperson Maj. Abdifatah Adan Hassan informed journalists that one soldier was among the fatalities, with the remaining victims being civilians. An additional soldier was wounded in the attack, Hassan stated. Witnesses reported an explosion followed by gunfire at the scene.
Lido Beach, a popular area in Mogadishu, is typically bustling on Friday nights as residents enjoy their weekend. Witness Mohamud Moalim recounted to The Associated Press that he saw an attacker wearing an explosive vest moments before the individual “blew himself up next to the beach-view hotel.” Moalim mentioned that some of his friends were killed or injured in the explosion.
Another witness, Abdisalam Adam, reported seeing “many people lying on the ground” and helped transport some of the wounded to the hospital.
The Lido Beach area has previously been targeted by al-Shabab militants, with a similar attack last year resulting in nine deaths.
In a separate incident on Saturday, state media reported that seven people were killed when a passenger vehicle hit a roadside bomb approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital.
Al-Shabab continues to control parts of southern and central Somalia and regularly conducts attacks in Mogadishu and other areas, extorting millions of dollars annually from residents and businesses in their bid to establish an Islamic state. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a “total war” on the militants last year as the nation began assuming responsibility for its own security.
This latest attack occurred a month after Somalia initiated the third phase of the drawdown of peacekeeping troops under the African Union Transition Mission.
(AP)
