Al-Shabab fighters killed as overnight siege of Mogadishu hotel ends

Vehicles of Somali security officers are parked near the SYL Hotel, the scene of an al-Shabab attack, in Mogadishu, Somalia, on March 15, 2024 [Feisal Omar/Reuters]

A 13-hour siege of a popular hotel near government buildings in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has ended after the al-Shabab fighters who had taken control of the building were killed by security forces.

“All the terrorist gunmen were killed, and the situation has returned to normal now,” police officer Abdirahim Yusuf told the Agence France-Presse news agency on Friday. “The security forces are carrying out a thorough clearance and investigations.”