MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Al-Shabaab fighters stormed an upscale hotel outside the presidential palace in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday evening, leading to the postponement of a scheduled parliament session on Monday.
Gunfire and explosions were heard inside the hotel on Monday as security were still fighting the attackers for more than 16 hours, while government officials and a number of MPs are believed to be still trapped in the building.
Somali parliament said it had postponed a scheduled meeting on Monday due to the ongoing hotel attack in the capital.
“All members of parliament of both councils are being informed that today’s scheduled meeting has been postponed,” it said in a statement on Facebook.
Somali government has not immediately commented on the assault, but parliament speaker Adan Mohamed Nur said the siege was still underway on Monday morning at the hotel, confirming reports that the security minister was injured.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the suicide infantry attack, saying its fighters seized control of the hotel inside the security perimeter of Somali president’s residence.
On Sunday night, reports suggested that RPG fire targeted the presidential palace and as a result, the president was rushed to safety at Halane base, which is home to African Union peacekeepers and a number of foreign diplomatic missions.
An Al-Shabaab fighter inside the hotel complex speaking to the group’s Andalus Radio said they were able to repulse a number attacks by security forces and boasted that they have turned President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s residence into a warzone, months after he ordered offensive against them.
The President has recently traveled to a number of central regions to reinvigorate a slowing offensive against the militant group that has been fighting since 2006 to topple the Western-backed Somali government.
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