A suicide bomber blew himself up at a hotel on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people, officials said.
Hotel Muna is popular with Somali MP’s in the capital, according to eyewitnesses one suicide bomber blew himself up inside the hotel killing many.
“…there were three men wearing the new Somali military uniform, they first started to open fire and then there was a big explosion…” says one of the eyewitnesses.
It is not clear yet, if the dead and wounded include the MP’s that were staying at hotel. But some reports say at least 11 Somali MP’s were killed in the explosion.
Earlier, Somali security forces said that they seized one gunman alive and another two remained inside the hotel.
“Three men disguised as government (troops) attacked the hotel. One has been captured alive and the other two are still inside the hotel. There is fighting going on. Government officials were killed, but we have not established the number of dead,” Information Minister Abdirahman Omar Osman told Reuters.
This attack comes as more heavy clashes are reported in different districts of the Somali capital, today.
Heavy fighting between the Somali government forces and insurgent group Al Shabaab resumed early on Tuesday morning, more than 20 people were killed in the fighting, on Monday.
According to medical officials in the Somali capital, 90 people were wounded in the latest clashes, most of them civilians.
Today, most of the fighting is taking place in the central district of Wardhigley and Hawlwadaag.
The fighting began on Monday, after the spokesman of Al Shabaab, announced that his group was launching full scale attack on the government and the African union peacekeepers AMISOM positions in Mogadishu.
The government accused the islamist militants of killing dozens of civilians in yesterday’s shelling.
This is the heaviest fighting in the city, since the holy month of Ramadan began, it also coincides with as more AMISOM troops are scheduled to arrive in the Somali capital.
Horseed Media
SOMALIA: Suicide attack kills 15 in Mogadishu Hotel
Published: August 24, 2010
