In Pictures

Somali group al-Shabab targets Mogadishu hotel in daring attack

At least 13 killed as Somali forces ended a siege at Mogadishu hotel after a 30-hours gunfight with al-Shabab fighters.

Soldiers patrol outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. — Soldiers patrol outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia [Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP Photo]

By News Agencies

The siege of a hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has ended after security forces stormed the building, killing the gunmen in an hours-long gun battle, according to military officials.

The fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab armed group on Friday entered the Hayat hotel frequented by government officials after triggering explosions and gunfire.

Security forces say they are clearing explosives planted by fighters in the building.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest of its frequent attempts to strike places visited by government officials. The attack on the hotel is the first major incident in Mogadishu since Somalia’s new leader, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, took office in May.

Mohamed Abdirahman, director of Mogadishu’s Madina Hospital, said that 40 people were admitted there with wounds or injuries from the attack. While nine were sent home after getting treatment, five are in critical condition in the intensive care unit, he said.

Somali security officers drive past a section of Hotel Hayat. [Feisal Omar/Reuters]

A ruined section of the Hotel Hayat, — A view of a destroyed section of Hotel Hayat, the scene of the al-Shabab attack in Mogadishu. Forced to retreat from Mogadishu in 2011, al-Shabab is slowly making a comeback from the rural areas to which it fled, defying the presence of African Union peacekeepers and US drone raids targeting its fighters. [Feisal Omar/Reuters]

A security officer gestures as he and colleagues patrol at the the site of explosions in Mogadishu, Somalia. — Somali forces have ended the siege of the hotel after 30 hours, with security forces clearing explosives planted by fighters in the building. [Hassan Ali Elmi/AFP]

Somali security officials gather at the cordoned-off scene of an attack, outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. — Somali security officials gather at the cordoned-off scene of the attack at the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu. [Said Yusuf Warsame/EPA]

A soldier patrols outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. — Soldiers patrols outside the Hayat Hotel. [Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP Photo]

Somali security officials inspect the scene of an attack at the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. — Somali security officials inspect the scene of the attack at the Hayat Hotel. [Said Yusuf Warsame/EPA]

An ambulance near the site of explosions in Mogadishu, Somalia. — An ambulance near the the site of the attack in Mogadishu. [Hassan Ali Elmi/AFP]