Abdifatah Adan Hassan, the spokesperson for the Somali police, reported at a news conference on Saturday that the attack involved a suicide explosion followed by gunfire.
“After the suicide bomber massacred innocent civilians who were at the beach for Friday relaxation three terrorist attackers stormed the Beach View Hotel,” he said.
He added that security forces killed three attackers inside the hotel after a firefight and two security personnel were injured, with one of them later succumbing to his injuries.
He said 63 people, civilians among them, sustained serious injuries, according to a count from Mogadishu hospitals.
The attack site is frequented by civilians, security officials, and businesspeople.
Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
Somalia has faced significant security challenges in recent years, primarily from the terrorist group al-Shabaab. The group has been engaged in a violent insurgency against the Somali government and international forces since 2007.
Al-Shabaab has carried out numerous attacks across Somalia, targeting government officials, security forces, and civilians. The group has also clashed with the Somali military and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a peacekeeping force authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.
In response to the escalating violence, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an "all-out war" on al-Shabaab in 2022. This has led to increased military operations against the group, resulting in the deaths of dozens of al-Shabaab militants in various parts of the country.
Despite these efforts, al-Shabaab remains a significant threat to Somalia's security and stability. The group has been able to maintain control over parts of the country and continues to carry out deadly attacks, posing a challenge to the government's efforts to establish security and stability throughout Somalia.
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