Deadly attack on hotel in Somalia (VIDEO)

Gunmen from the Al-Shabaab terrorist group have stormed a hotel in the city of Beledweyne in central Somalia, where local leaders and government officials were meeting to plan an offensive against the jihadist organization, multiple news agencies have reported.

Reports vary on the death toll from the assault on Tuesday at the Cairo Hotel, although a witness told the Associated Press that three of his family members were among some 11 people he knew were dead. Reuters cited a clan elder, Abdullahi Fidow, as saying that seven people had been killed in the attack.

“The death toll may rise because of the blasts and shooting by the fighters,” he told the news agency.

The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab group has reportedly claimed responsibility for the incident, alleging to have killed more than ten people.

According to local outlet Somali Guardian, the attack began with a car bomb exploding at the entrance of the hotel. Gunmen later entered the building, resulting in violent clashes with security forces.

Videos shared on social media showed thick smoke rising from the facility, which has significant damage to its walls as a result of the bombing.

On Wednesday, Universal Somali TV reported that the siege on the facility had ended after more than 24 hours of intense fighting between militants and the East African country’s troops, as well as Ethiopian and Djiboutian allies.

Al-Shabaab remains the dominant terrorist organization in Somalia, frequently carrying out explosives and gun attacks on civilians and military infrastructure in an attempt to destabilize the government and establish its own rule. The group was driven out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in 2011 by an African Union peacekeeping force, but it still controls some areas in the southern and central regions of the country.

Last August, over 30 people were killed in a terrorist attack on Lido Beach in Mogadishu. Four gunmen reportedly targeted the seaside spot with indiscriminate shooting, while a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device. In October 2022, Al-Shabaab carried out twin car bombings in Mogadishu, killing more than 100 people and injuring 300.

Last month, US President Donald Trump ordered precision airstrikes in Somalia’s Bari region targeting an unnamed senior Islamic State attack planner and other militants. The offensive reportedly destroyed terrorist hideouts and killed several militants.