Devastating Attack at Beach Hotel in Mogadishu: 37 Killed

An attack on a beach hotel in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, killed at least 37 people and wounded 212 others.

Authorities also said that one soldier was killed and another was injured, while the most of the dead were civilians.

Witnesses reported an explosion, followed by shooting.

Al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack over radio.

A witness, Mohamud Moalim, told The Associated Press that he observed an assailant wearing an explosive vest just before the man “blew himself up next to the beach-view hotel.”

Moalim stated that some of his buddies who were with him at the hotel were slain while others were injured.

Another witness, Abdisalam Adam, told the AP that he “saw many people lying on the ground” and had helped take some wounded people to the hospital.

The Lido Beach area has in the past been targeted by militants allied to al-Shabab. The most recent attack last year killed nine people. In a separate attack on Saturday, state media reported that seven people died after a passenger vehicle hit a roadside bomb some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud last year declared a “total war” on the militants as the country started taking charge of its own security.

Al-Shabab still controls parts of southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out attacks in Mogadishu and other areas while extorting millions of dollars a year from residents and businesses in its quest to impose an Islamic state.

Friday’s strike came a month after Somalia began the third phase of the African Union Transition Mission’s peacekeeping force pullback.

On Saturday, James Swan, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Acting Special Representative for Somalia, voiced his support and solidarity with Somalia “in its efforts to ensure peace, security, and stability.”

He stated that Lido Beach is popular with families, and that “targeting this location is an abhorrent act that warrants the firmest condemnation.”

sources: AP