The fight between Somali special forces and Al-Shabaab fighters, who have seized a hotel in Mogadishu, has been going on for more than 12 hours. The Somali Guardian reported this on Monday.
The militants broke into the Villa Rose Hotel at around 8 p.m. on the evening of November 27 and barricaded themselves in several rooms, it noted. Somali Security Minister Mohamed Ahmed Doodishe was wounded in the shootout.
The portal reports that the number of casualties is significant, but there are no exact figures yet.
The hotel, located near the presidential palace, is popular with officials. The special forces fighters managed to get a large number of people out of it. Among them are Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Somalia Ahmed Hassan Adan, as well as a member of the Senate. Meanwhile, many government employees are still inside the building.
In turn, the Somali radio station Dalsan reports that militants initially tried to break into the presidential palace, but were repulsed. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud left the palace after the building was shelled with mortars. Unable to enter the palace, the fighters seized part of a nearby hotel.
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Photo: Master Sgt. Christopher DeWitt/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS