Somali security forces successfully ended a 24-hour siege at the Cairo Hotel in the central city of Beledweyne on Wednesday, killing all Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (the al-Shabaab) militants involved in the attack, according to AP News.
The assault, which began with a car bomb explosion on Tuesday, left an unknown number of civilians dead and caused significant damage to the hotel, a hub for traditional elders and military officers coordinating the government’s offensive against the militant group.
The attack was followed by an armed assault by the al-Shabaab militants. Somali forces engaged in a prolonged operation to clear the building, culminating in the deaths of all six attackers, according to Beledweyne Mayor Omar Alasow.
Somali forces engaged in a prolonged operation to clear the building, culminating in the deaths of all six attackers, according to Beledweyne Mayor Omar Alasow.
Local resident Muhsin Abdullahi stated that six people, including two prominent traditional elders, were killed, whereas another witness, Hussein Jeelle Raage, claimed that at least 11 people, including three of his family members, had died.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group, which opposes Somalia’s federal government, frequently targets government officials, military personnel, and civilians in its campaign to destabilise the country.
Despite ongoing military operations by Somali forces and African Union peacekeepers, al-Shabaab retains control over parts of rural Somalia and remains a significant security threat.
