Sunday January 31, 2021
MOGADISHU (HOL) - A retired army general and former minister of state are among those who have been killed in the ongoing siege at Hotel Afrik in Mogadishu amid fears of rising casualties as security forces engage the militants holed up in the hotel.
Security guards manning the hotel and auto rickshaw drivers who operate around the hotel are thought to have been the first casualties.
A vehicle loaded with explosives ripped through the entrance of the hotel located along the airport road at about 5pm local time paving way for the militants who stormed the hotel.
They are suspected to have made way into the rooms of the three storey hotel. Gunfire can still be heard from the scene as initial reports indicate security forces are yet to enter the hotel.
There is no official comment yet from Somali authorities on the terrorist attack.