The death toll in the attack on a hotel in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, perpetrated this Saturday by the jihadist group Al Shabab, has risen to 14, the Somali police spokesman announced.
Initially, the Somali authorities reported eight civilian deaths, but that figure was updated to 14, Abdifatah Duudushe was quoted as saying by the Spanish news agency EFE at a press conference.
Islamic extremists from Shebab, affiliated with the Al Qaeda terrorist network, stormed the Hayat hotel on Friday night, amid gunshots and explosions, during an attack and subsequent clashes with the authorities, which lasted about 15 hours. Shebab elements attacked the hotel, often frequented by politicians and government officials, and fired on civilians there. Among the dead are the owner of the hotel and other businessmen.
In a statement, the jihadist group Al Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters committed suicide during the attack.
This was the largest attack on the Somali capital since the election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in May.
Source: Observadora
