Aftermath of the car bombing at the gate of Naso Hablod hotel in Mogadishu. Photograph: Reuters
A dualbombing hit the Somali capital of Mogadishu just two weeks after a bomb attack killed over 350 people.
A suicide car-bomb hit an area outside Naso Hablod hotel on Saturday, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 16. Another explosion took place near the former parliament house nearby.
The third explosion was also reported. However, right now it’s unclear where it took place.
“Speaking to Associated Press by telephone from the scene, Capt Mohamed Hussein said more than 20 people, including government officials, were thought to be trapped as security forces battled extremists holed up on the top floor of the Nasa-Hablod hotel, close to the presidential palace. Two of the five attackers were killed on the first floor, Hussein said. The others hurled grenades and cut off the building’s electricity as night fell,” the Guardian reports.
Local sources believe that al-Shabab militant group is heding the attack. On Sunday, local authorities are set to hold a meeting to agree on a new strategy against the militant group.
The previous major attack hit Somalia on Octobber 14 when at least 358 people were kileld and 56 went missing.
