MOGADISHU: At least nine people, among them three gunmen, were killed in an attack on a hotel in Kismayo, southern Somalia, claimed by Al Shabaab Islamists, police and a witness said on Sunday.

The port city is the latest to be hit following a resurgence of bloody attacks in recent months by the Al Qaeda-linked group, which has mainly targeted the capital Mogadishu and central Somalia. Police said the attack by jihadists on the hotel in Kismayo was over and all three of the gunmen were killed.

“The security forces are in control of the situation,” said police officer Mohamed Hassan. They were still trying to establish the number of casualties, he added.The assault began at 12:45pm when a booby-trapped car rammed the entrance of Hotel Tawakal. “Three more bodies of civilians were discovered, making six the overall civilian casualties we have confirmed so far,” police officer Abdullahi Ismail said, updating the toll of three given by officials earlier.

“This is not a government target,” Ismail said. “It is just an ordinary, civilian-frequented hotel.” As security forces sought to bring the siege to an end, they killed “two of the attackers”, he added. “They are clearing the hotel building and will soon announce the siege is over.”

Witness Abdikarin Yare said the forces “managed to storm the main building and we can still hear gunshots”, adding: “Two dead bodies of the attackers were dragged out.” Another witness Farhan Hassan, who was outside the hotel when the attack happened, said “a suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the entrance of the hotel before the gunmen entered the building”.Al Shabaab has been trying to overthrow the government for more than 15 years and regularly attacks civilian and military targets.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2022