A victim is removed from the Maka Al-Mukarama Hotel in the Somalia
capital, Mogadishu on March 1, 2019, following a 24-hour siege by
Al-Shabaab jihadists. PHOTO | ABDIRAZAK HUSSEIN FARAH | AFP
Somalia's special forces have killed all three
gunmen who had taken over a building in central Mogadishu, using
civilians as human shields, officials say.
The
attack, which killed 20 people, began late on Thursday when Al-Shabaab
militants stormed an area lined with hotels, shops and restaurants.
They then seized a nearby building.
This was the longest siege by the militant group since it was forced out of the Somali capital in 2011.
TERRORISTS KILLED
The final gunman was killed on Friday evening, about 22 hours after the initial attack.
Ismail Muktar, the commissioner for Hamar Jajab district, told reporters about the final moments of the siege.
"The
last terrorist gunman was killed after the security forces destroyed a
room in which he was taking cover and the siege is over now," he said.
Al-Shabaab has said it was behind the attack in the busy Maka al-Mukarama road, which has also injured more than 60.
A number of civilians were rescued from the building.
There are fears that the death toll could rise further.
WHAT HAPPENED
An
Al-Shabaab fighter blew himself up in a car, destroying other cars on
the road and the front of Hotel Maka al-Mukarama, witnesses say.
The
Secretary-General of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ),
Mohamed Moalimuu, was inside the hotel with a colleague when they heard
gunshots followed by a blast:
The suicide car explosion was then followed by gunshots from other Al-Shabaab militants who stormed an adjacent building.
US-trained Somali troops known as the Alpha Group were called in to surround the building and end the siege.
HUMAN SHIELDS
Somalia's information minister said on Friday afternoon that the use of human shields by Al-Shabaab had prolonged the siege.
"We
could have ended this hours ago but we were concerned [about] the
civilians, whom they [Al-Shabaab] don't mind using as shields but we
would rather be the shields for them [the civilians]," Dahir Mahamud
Gelle said in a televised speech.
The
Maka al-Mukarama road is the busiest road in Mogadishu. It has been
repeatedly targeted by al-Shabaab militants despite being one of the
most heavily guarded roads in the country.
SOMALIA'S HEART
Hassan Haile, a prominent UK-based Somali political analyst, told the BBC that the Islamist militant group were especially drawn to the road.
"Al-Shabaab like attacking Maka al-Mukarama because it is in the heart of Somalia," he said.
He told the BBC the Islamist militant group use bribes and threats to carry out their attacks:
"They
either bribe with money or make it very clear that they know where the
soldiers live and who their families are, to reach where they want to
reach," Mr Haile said.
"There is
negligence from the government, the soldiers have no money and they
don't get encouragement which makes these kinds of attacks possible."
THE WAR
The
Islamist group Al-Shabaab, which is linked to Al-Qaeda, was forced out
of Mogadishu in 2011 but continues to mount regular attacks in the city.
The US has sharply increased its air strikes against the group since President Trump took power.
The
former deputy director of Somalia's National Intelligence and Security
Agency (NISA) says that Al-Shabaab has increased its attacks in
Mogadishu as retaliation for the airstrikes.
BAD MANAGEMENT
Abdisalam
Guled was also concerned that this week's withdrawal of Burundian
troops from the African Union force in the city could further jeopardise
security.
He also believes that bad management is partly to blame.
"The army and police are overworked and underpaid," he said.
The
US State Department says Al-Shabaab retains control over large parts of
the country and has the ability to carry out high-profile attacks using
suicide bombers, explosive devices, mortars and small arms.
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