At least 20 people were killed in an attack by Al- Shabab terrorists on the Hayat hotel in the capital, Migadishu, which was stopped by Somali security forces after they freed 106 prisoners.
By early Sunday morning, August 21, the security forces had defeated the militants after more than 30 hours of holding the hotel guests hostage.
As emergency personnel and bomb disposal specialists started removing explosives and debris from the hotel, the area around it was silent and the nearby roads were sealed by a strong security presence.
The building suffered severe damage during the shootout between Somali forces and the insurgents, causing some of its pieces to fall.
According to police commissioner Abdi Hassan Mohamed Hijar, ‘106 persons, including women and children,’ were saved by security troops during the siege, which came to a conclusion about midnight.
‘The casualties mostly happened in the early hours of the attack, after that security forces spent time rescuing people individually and room by room,’ Hijar said.
It is still unknown how many shooters entered or exited the hotel, and police have not yet provided a thorough account of how the attack took place.
Al Shabab terror group has links to Al-Qaeda and is proscribed by both the US and UK.
In the parts of Somalia they control, the terrorists have imposed a harsh interpretation of Sharia Law, which includes the stoning to death of women who are suspected of adultery.
