Africa

Death Toll From Somali Hotel Attack Rises to 30, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The death toll from the attack on Hayat Hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu has risen to 30, while dozens of people have been injured, as gunfire between security forces and al-Shabaab terrorists is ongoing, media reported on Saturday.
Sputnik
The list of the victims includes the owner of the hotel, Abdirahman Hassan Iman, according to the Dalsan radio station.
A gunfight occurred on Friday night between the Somali security forces and members of the al-Shabaab radical Islamist group at Hayat Hotel, which is a popular place among lawmakers and government officials. At least two explosions were heard in the vicinity of the hotel.
Earlier in the day, news agencies reported about at least eight dead and several injured.
Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with the al-Qaeda* terror group, has been waging an armed struggle against the central government of Somalia and is still controlling large areas in the southern and central parts of the country.
In May, the United States decided to renew strikes against the group's positions to combat the growing threat posed by al-Shabaab to US partner forces. In particular, 13 al-Shabaab terrorists were killed in the recent US airstrike in Somalia on August 14, according to the US Africa Command.
*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.
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