Somali police authorities reported that a group of al-Shabaab-affiliated extremist militants launched a harrowing assault on a hotel in Mogadishu that tragically resulted in the loss of six innocent civilian lives and the lives of three courageous law enforcement officers.
Additionally, ten civilians suffered injuries during the ordeal. During the night spanning from Friday to Saturday, the police executed a meticulous operation that brought the assailants to a halt after a grueling six hours.
On Friday, a hotel in Mogadishu fell victim to a siege orchestrated by militants linked to Al-Qaeda. The armed assailants, numbering seven, initiated the attack at 5 p.m., targeting the Pearl Beach hotel located along the waterfront. After a protracted standoff, which included intense exchanges of gunfire, the Somali police successfully neutralized all of the attackers by approximately 2 a.m. Sadly, this harrowing incident resulted in the loss of lives, including the assailants, and left a significant number of civilians injured.
The police reported the devastating loss of six civilians and three law enforcement officers in the Pearl Beach hotel attack. The authorities rescued and unharmed 84 individuals present during the incident, but ten civilians were injured.
Eyewitnesses on Friday evening reported the sound of intense gunfire near the establishment. A journalist on the scene noticed several ambulances stationed nearby, indicating the presence of emergency response teams.
“I was in the vicinity of the Pearl Beach restaurant when a tremendous explosion took place right in front of the building,” recounted witness Abdirahim Ali. “Fortunately, I was able to flee the area, but soon after, a fierce exchange of gunfire erupted, and a substantial deployment of security forces swiftly arrived at the scene.”