21.08.2022, Somalia, Mogadischu: Sicherheitskräfte patrouillieren am Tatort, nachdem Bewaffnete ein Hotel gestürmt haben. Bei einem fast 30 Stunden andauernden Angriff bewaffneter islamistischer Extremisten auf ein Hotel in Somalias Hauptstadt Mogadischu sind mindestens 30 Menschen gestorben. Am Abend des 19.08.2022 hatten Kämpfer der islamistischen Terrorgruppe Al-Shabaab das beliebte «Hayat»-Hotel in der Nähe des internationalen Flughafens Aden Adde gestürmt. Foto: Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP/dpa +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++

At least 30 people have died in a nearly 30-hour attack by armed Islamist extremists on a hotel in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. More than 40 other people were injured, some of them seriously, a senior police officer, Mohamed Dahir, told the German Press Agency on Sunday. According to Dahir, security forces were able to end the attack in Somalia on Sunday night.

On Friday evening, fighters from the Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabaab stormed the popular “Hayat” hotel near Aden Adde International Airport. For hours there were clashes between a US military-trained anti-terrorist unit using heavy weapons such as mortar shells and other explosive devices. The Cheetah special unit of the Somali police was also deployed.

According to the police, the attackers, whose number remained unclear, were armed with hand grenades and Kalashnikovs. Originally, the security forces assumed four to five fighters; two of the terrorists were killed, according to police.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in Somalia and said 40 people were killed. Immediately before the attack, two suicide bombers had already blown themselves up in two vehicles. According to the terrorists, they were also responsible for an attack with a mortar shell at the airport. The Somali security authorities confirmed that a mother and her four children were killed in the attack.