Over 10 Killed in Attack by Suspected Al-Shabaab Militants in Somalia's Capital - Reports

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th August, 2020) More than 10 people, including government officials, were killed in an attack on a hotel in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu by gunmen suspected to be members of the Al-Shabaab extremist group on Sunday, news website Somali Guardian reported.

According to the news website, the gunmen staged a car blast to pave the way into Elite Hotel, which is located on one of the country's popular beaches, Liido, and then stormed the building.

The newspaper reported that shooting was ongoing inside the hotel, adding that among those injured is Minister of Public Works Ahmed Washington, while former director of tourism for the Ministry of Information was possibly killed.

Somalia has been engulfed in violence since the eruption of a civil war between clan-based armed groups in the early 1990s. The situation has been further complicated by Al-Shabaab militants, who are staging numerous attacks across the country in an attempt to impose a radical version of Sharia law in the country.