At least 13 people were killed in Somalia’s Mogadishu on Wednesday after gunmen crashed a car packed with explosives into the gate of Dayah hotel, Reuters reported. The hotel is said to be popular with politicians and government officials.

Islamist group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on a Telegram messaging account. “The mujahideen fighters have attacked a hotel and have managed to enter the hotel after detonating a car loaded with explosives,” read the statement by Al Shabaab, according to AFP.

The attackers stormed the hotel after the car bomb exploded and exchanged fire with security guards. A second blast went off after ambulances had arrived at the scene, leaving several injured, reported AFP.

The police said that all civilians were rescued, though the death toll may rise. The injured were taken to Madina hospital, where some of them were said to have “very serious” wounds. Dozens of people including lawmakers were said to have been inside the hotel at the time of the attack, a police official told AP.

Al Shabaab frequently attacks hotels and government buildings in Somalia in protest against the country’s government, which is backed by Western countries. On January 2, an explosion near the security checkpoint at Mogadishu’s international airport left three dead. The blast had occurred near the main base of the African Union peacekeeping mission, reported AP. </s> Somalia's al Shabaab kill four in attack on hotel in Puntland region - official

BOSASSO, Somalia, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Somalia's al Shabaab militants stormed a hotel in the capital of the semi-autonomous Puntland region, Bosasso, on Wednesday, killing four guards, while two of the attackers also died, a senior official said.

"Three al Shabaab fighters stormed the International Village Hotel this morning. Four guards and two of the attackers died in the fighting," Yusuf Mohamed, the governor of Bari region, told Reuters.

"Fortunately, the attackers did not enter the rooms. The fighting took place inside the compound. A third fighter escaped and we are pursuing him. All the people in the hotel are safe." (Reporting by Abdiqabni Hassan; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Robert Birsel) </s> NAIROBI (Reuters) - Attackers blew up part of a hotel in northeastern Kenya, killing at least 12 people on Tuesday, in a raid claimed by al Shabaab militants from neighboring Somalia.

The group said it had set out to kill non-Muslims in Kenya’s Mandera area - the scene of numerous assaults by the fighters seeking to overthrow Somalia’s Western-backed government and punish Kenya for sending in soldiers to oppose it.

Rescuers pulled at least six survivors from the rubble and were searching for more, North Eastern Regional Commissioner Mohamoud Saleh said in a statement that did not name the attackers.

Twelve people died in the attack, he said. “The Government of Kenya condemns this act of terror and condoles with families and friends of the bereaved,” he added.

Al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operation, Abdiasis Abu Musab, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the gunmen had targeted non-Muslims and killed 15 people.

“I counted nine bodies being removed from the building by colleagues, those dead could be more. Most of them had what looked like gun shot wounds and for others it seems rubble from the building had collapsed on them,” said a police officer at the scene, who asked not to be named.

The attack took place hours after fighters from the group shot dead an intelligence officer in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. [nL8N1CV0VV]

Slideshow (5 Images)

“We have received some six people with injuries from the scene of the attack. Some have really lost blood, two are unconscious. We also received bodies of the dead but I was in the casualty wing and could not count how many they were,” a nurse from Mandera County hospital told Reuters.

Al Shabaab killed six people as a work site in Mandera area earlier in October.[nL5N1CC0ED]

It has also struck deeper into Kenya, killing at least 67 people in an attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall in 2013. </s> Six people were killed in an attack in northeast Kenya on Thursday by suspected Islamist militants from the Somali group al Shabaab, the regional governor and Kenyan media reported, the latest strike in an area by the militants.

The governor of Mandera county where the attack took place, Ali Roba, told Reuters that six people had been confirmed killed.

Kenya’s Daily Nation said on its website that the attack, which it blamed on al Shabaab, occurred early in the morning. </s> Nairobi. Twelve people have been killed in an overnight attack at Bishaaro Hotel in Mandera Town by suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen, police confirmed on Tuesday.

Mandera East police boss (OCPD) Ezekiel Singoe said the 12 included 10 who were visiting for set-book performances at schools in the county.

He said the 10 had arrived in Mandera on Monday to stage plays for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam candidates.

The police boss said they were still identifying the bodies.

The attackers used improvised explosive devices to break the metallic doors at the lodge before shooting the 12 dead in their rooms.

Each room in the hotel accommodated four to six people.

Mandera County Police Commander Job Boronjo on Tuesday morning confirmed the attack but said police were yet to get more details about deaths or injuries as it was still dark in the area.

"We are monitoring the situation. My officers are on the ground. We will give the details when the day breaks," Mr Boronjo said from Garissa, where he was attending an official meeting.

Asked about the exact place of the attack, Mr Boronjo said by phone: "Lets not go into details for now please. Lets wait for update as the day breaks." </s> At least 28 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a coordinated gun-and-bomb attack carried out by al-Shabab at a popular hotel in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, according to officials.

The assault on Wednesday morning began when attackers rammed an explosives-packed car into the gate of Dayah Hotel, which is near Somalia's parliament in central Mogadishu, and then stormed inside exchanging gunfire with security guards.

A second massive car bomb blast went off after ambulances and journalists had arrived at the scene, leaving at least four reporters wounded, according to AFP news agency.

"We have confirmed 28 people died and 43 others were injured in the two blasts at the hotel," Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of the capital's ambulance services, told Reuters news agency.

Security Minister Abdirizak Umar told reporters at the scene that 51 people were wounded in the two blasts at the hotel.

Al Jazeera's Catherine Soi, reporting from Nairobi in neighbouring Kenya, said a freelance journalist working for Al Jazeera Arabic was among those wounded.

OPINION: US policies do more harm than good in Somalia

Colonel Abdiqadir Hussein, a police officer, told Reuters that security forces eventually managed to secure the building.

"We have rescued the people and concluded the operation at Dayah Hotel."

Witnesses said the powerful explosions caused extensive damage in the area near the hotel, shattering dozens of windows and damaging parked cars.

"All the neighbouring houses have been destroyed," Yusuf Hassan, editor of Somali newspaper Haqiqa Times, told Al Jazeera from the scene.

"I see people crying because they have lost their relatives," he added.

"It is really a big tragedy."

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a report by Andalus radio, which is linked to the armed group.

"Well-armed mujahideen [fighters] attacked the hotel and now they are fighting inside the hotel," the report said.

Dozens of people, including members of Somalia's parliament, were thought to have been in the hotel at the time of the attack, Captain Mohamed Hussein told The Associated Press news agency.

The hotel is popular with politicians, government officials and entrepreneurs.

Al-Shabab has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia to try to topple the country's western-backed government.

In June, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on the Nasa Hablod hotel, which killed at least 15 people. </s> Jan. 15 (UPI) -- An upscale hotel in Kenya was attacked with gunfire and explosions Tuesday in what authorities are calling a terrorist attack.

The attack targeted the DusitD2 hotel and office park in Nairobi's Westlands neighborhood. The Somali militant group al-Shabab told al-Jazeera it was behind the attack.

The casualty count was not initially reported.

One man at the hotel used Twitter to communicate with relatives.

"I am ... hiding in a bathroom and we are under attack," he wrote. "There was a massive bombs blast then gunshots. HELP SOS."

A Kenya Air Force helicopter responded to the attack, the Nation reported.

Smoke was seen from something burning outside the hotel. Police warned people to stay away from the area and nearby buildings were evacuated.

Al-Shabab has attacked Kenya before, including a strike at the Westgate Mall in 2013 that killed 71 people. </s> The Somalia-based al-Qaeda linked terror group al-Shabaab attacked the luxury hotel Dusit-D2 in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday, killing at least 15.

Al-Shabaab is considered the deadliest terrorist organization in Africa and has conducted several spectacular terrorist attacks in Somalia and Kenya.

The attack on Tuesday came three years to the day after al-Shabaab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in neighboring Somalia, killing scores of people.

Tuesday’s attack comes on the third anniversary, to the day, of an al-Shabaab ambush on the El-Adde camp in Somalia, killed 170 Kenyan soldiers.

In April 2015, al-Shabaab killed 147 students at the Garissa University College in Kenya. ( “3-Apr-15 World View — Al-Shabaab kills 147 mostly Christian students in Kenya school”)

Al-Shabaab also conducted the horrific three-day terror attack on Nairobi’s upscale Westgate Mall, killing 67 people. ( “23-Sep-13 World View — Minnesota link to Kenya shopping mall attack raises U.S. fears”)

The reason that the Westgate Mall attack lasted for three days is that the Nairobi police were ill-prepared to respond to it, and received a great deal of criticism as a result. The Dusit hotel is less than 2 km away from the Westgate mall. Tuesday’s attack on the Dusit hotel was handled more efficiently by Nairobi’s police, though it still lasted several hours.

CCTV footage has emerged showing that there were four assailants who carried out the attack. The hotel is in a supposedly very secure part of Nairobi, but the attackers gained access to the hotel by hurling grenades at the security officers manning the gate.

The Dusit hotel complex consists of a number of buildings and many were attacked. Police went from building to building and rescued hundreds of people who were trapped in hotel rooms or offices.

One of the CCTV images captured what appears to be a U.S. Navy SEAL rescuing civilians and then returning to the scene of the fighting. The Pentagon has U.S. special forces in a number of countries in Africa, describing their mission as “advising and assisting.” In Kenya, the U.S. has a small presence at Camp Simba, where they reportedly train naval special forces.

Al-Shabaab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia since 2011. The al-Qaeda-linked group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya, targeted more than any other of the six countries providing troops to an African Union force in Somalia. Kenyans and AP and The Star (Kenya) and Business Insider

Al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based terror group that has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. In 2014, they debated changing allegiance to ISIS but rejected the change, resulting in the formation of a small splinter group. The group conducts massive terror attacks in Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania. It has an estimated 3,000-6,000 members, including members that it has successfully recruited from the Somali diaspora in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the case of the Westgate Mall attack, three terrorists were from the United States, including two from the Somali community in the twin cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) region of Minnesota.

Al-Shabaab’s predecessors have been around in Somalia since the 1980s. During the 2000s, they were responsible for numerous pirate attacks on vessels off the coast of eastern Africa. Since 2007, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), consisting of troops from Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone, have targeted the group. U.S. drone strikes and airstrikes have killed several of the group’s leaders.

Al-Shabaab’s targets are usually governmental, with the stated goal of ejecting Western influence and converting Somalia into an Islamic Sharia state.

The U.N. Security Council had ordered the withdrawal of AMISOM troops starting in October of last year, after which Somalia security forces were expected to begin taking over. However, the withdrawal was postponed until February of this year. However, a recent spate of successful attacks, despite the presence of AMISOM troops, has given credence to the view that Somalia security forces are too weak to take over, and the departure of AMISOM would result in the complete al-Shabaab takeover of Somalia. Jamestown (12-Oct-2018) and Council of Foreign Affairs (11-Dec-2018) and International Crisis Group (21-Sep-2018)
• New Somalia terror bombings again raise question of US military strategy in Africa (29-Oct-2017)
• US sends dozens of troops to Somalia, first time since Black Hawk Down (15-Apr-2017)

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Kenya, Nairobi, Somalia, al-Shabaab, Dusit-D2 hotel, Westgate Mall, El-Adde camp, Garissa University College, Westgate Mall, Minneapolis, African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM, Burundi, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone

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 Receive daily World View columns by e-mail </s> Death toll in Somalia hotel blast rises to 26, police say

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A Somali police official says the death toll in Wednesday's attack on a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, has risen to 26.

Capt. Mohamed Hussein says 52 others were injured in the assault that began with a suicide car bomb exploding at the hotel gate. He says some of the victims who suffered horrific wounds died in hospitals.

Islamic extremist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The homegrown extremist group is also announcing that it has killed three Somalis it says collaborated with the CIA and Kenyan and Somali governments.

Pro-al-Shabab websites say the three men were accused of helping in carrying out airstrikes against al-Shabab officials.

The sites say the men were killed in a public square in Yaqbarawe, a town in the southwest. </s> NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Latest on the attack on a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya (all times local):

Kenyan broadcaster NTV reports that more gunfire has been heard in the past half-hour at the scene of the attack on an upscale hotel complex in Nairobi.

The broadcaster says quiet has now returned, but the gunfire indicates that efforts to secure the complex might not be over.

The gunfire came little over an hour after Kenya's interior minister said all of the buildings affected by the attack had been secured and that security forces were in the final stages of mopping up the scene.

Somalia's government is expressing its "strong condemnation" of the deadly attack on an upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital. The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Somalia's foreign ministry in a statement says the attack by at least four gunmen "once again reveals the hideous face of terrorism." The statement expresses its solidarity with those affected.

Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia since 2011. The al-Qaida-linked group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya.

Kenya's Citizen TV is airing what it calls surveillance footage that shows at least four attackers as they storm an upscale hotel complex in Nairobi.

Two of the gunmen are shown shooting in the direction of a car. Later the four attackers split up and go in different directions.

Kenyan authorities have not said how many attackers are involved and whether any remain at large. They have said the complex has now been secured.

Kenya's interior minister says all of the buildings affected by an extremist attack on a hotel complex in Nairobi have been secured and that security forces are in the final stages of mopping up the scene.

Fred Matiang'i says that "I would like to reiterate that the situation is under control and the country is safe."

He did not give a toll of dead or wounded. Witnesses have reported up to five bodies in the attack claimed by the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab.

A State Department spokesperson says the United States condemns the "senseless act of violence" at an upscale hotel in Kenya's capital.

The spokesperson says the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi is closely monitoring the attack and working with Kenyan authorities to determine if any U.S. citizens are affected.

Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is condemning "the horrible terrorist act."

Authorities have not announced a death toll, but witnesses have reported up to five bodies in the attack claimed by the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab.

Survivors of the deadly attack on a Nairobi hotel complex describe a shattering explosion and the bodies of people shot to death while sitting at a cafe.

Enoch Kibet, who works as a cleaner there, says: "We were changing our shifts and that is when I heard a loud blast and people were screaming." She crawled out of a gate in the basement.

She says that "I couldn't believe I was alive. The blast was so loud and shook the whole complex."

A waitress who only gave her first name, Lily, trembled as she described the attackers shooting people at the Secret Garden cafe and people lying on tables bleeding. She says that "these are terrorists and they need to be stopped because there are many people in this complex."

Associated Press video from inside a Nairobi hotel during an extremist attack shows Kenyan security officers anxiously searching the building and scared workers emerging from hiding places while gunfire is heard.

Some women climb out of windows. One man rises from the floor where he appeared to be trying to hide under a piece of wood paneling, then shows his ID badge.

"We do ourselves a favor, we clear what we can see," one officer says as they approach what appears to be a shattered entrance.

The footage shows officers searching luxury fashion displays and other areas while wounded people are hurried away on stretchers.

Kenya's national police chief says the coordinated attack on a Nairobi hotel began with an explosion that targeted three vehicles outside a bank while a suicide bomber blew up in the hotel lobby.

Joseph Boinnet says the lobby blast severely injured a number of hotel guests.

He says the operation against the attackers is "still ongoing" and various offices have been secured.

Authorities still have not released a death toll while witnesses have reported seeing up to five bodies.

A Somali diplomat says Somali officials were in a Nairobi hotel for meetings at the time it was attacked on Tuesday and several are feared to still be inside. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

The al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility and said the attack started with a suicide bombing, with gunmen then storming the hotel.

A Kenyan intelligence official says the country had been on high alert since November with information about potential attacks on high-profile targets in Nairobi, but the extremists confused security officials by changing target locations. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

A witness to the attack on an upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital says he saw five bodies.

The man who only gave his name as Ken said the bodies were at the hotel entrance. He says other people were shouting for help and "when we rushed back to try rescue them, gunshots started coming from upstairs and we had to duck because they were targeting us and we could see two guys shooting."

Separately, rescue workers say two of the people they rushed to a local hospital were dead on arrival. The rescue workers spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Authorities have not yet released any figures on dead or wounded.

Some Kenyan hospitals are appealing for blood donations as the number of people wounded in an attack on an upscale hotel complex in Nairobi remains unknown.

Night has fallen and it is not immediately clear whether attackers are still active in the complex and how many people might be trapped or hiding inside.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack. It occurred a short distance from the Westgate Mall, which al-Shabab attacked in 2013, killing 67 people.

A Kenyan police officer who was among the first on the scene of the attack on an upscale hotel complex says "there was no time to count the dead but it is true that there are people who are dead."

The officer says some bodies were in restaurants downstairs and that colleagues saw others in offices upstairs.

The officer says blood and glass are all over and that gunfire continues. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Kenya's national police chief says they are aware some attackers could still be inside an upscale Nairobi complex and that special forces are trying to flush them out.

Joseph Boinnet did not confirm any deaths and did not give a number of people injured in the attack in the Westlands neighborhood.

The police chief says they suspect this to be a "terror attack" and he urges people to remain calm. He says that police are looking forward to "bringing the situation to normalcy in the shortest time possible."

Kenyans are watching the police response closely after officers took hours to respond to a deadly attack on the nearly Westgate Mall in 2013.

The attack on an upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital comes a day after a magistrate's court ruled that three men must stand trial on charges they were involved in a deadly attack on a Nairobi shopping mall in 2013.

The magistrate said Monday he was satisfied with prosecutors' evidence linking the three suspects to the days-long siege of Westgate Mall in which 67 people were killed. A fourth suspect was freed for lack of evidence.

The Somalia-based Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for that attack, and it has claimed responsibility for the one on Tuesday.

Police say they have detonated a car they said had explosives inside. The blast sent people at the scene of an attack on an upscale complex in Nairobi's capital ducking and screaming.

Officers have moved away from other vehicles they suspect of having explosives.

Other officers have been going shop to shop in the complex in the Westlands neighborhood. It is a short walk from Westgate Mall, which was the scene of a deadly extremist attack in 2013.

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shaba has claimed responsibility for this attack.

A witness says he saw at least two bodies at the scene of an attack on an upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital.

Robert Murire tells The Associated Press that he called emergency services.

He says he saw attackers wearing green and wrapped in ammunition. It was not clear how many people attacked. The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for the attack and said its members are still fighting inside.

Gunfire continues to be heard at the scene, sending some people ducking behind cars and screaming.

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for the attack on an upscale hotel complex in Nairobi and says its members are still fighting inside.

The al-Qaida-linked group issued the claim via its radio arm, Andalus.

Explosions and gunfire have been heard at the complex in the Westlands neighborhood as dozens of people are rushed from the scene.

At least one person in bomb disposal gear can be seen. An unexploded grenade has been seen in a hallway of the shopping complex.

Civilians, including some women crying, ran away from the Nairobi hotel complex as sporadic gunfire was heard inside. One man escaping the attack, said he was hiding inside until he could run away. He said there was lots of shooting inside the complex.

An armored vehicle has arrived at the ongoing attack on the DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi's Westlands suburb on Riverside Drive. Police and army are at the scene. Plainclothes police are going from shop to shop to clear out trapped civilians who are running away from the complex.

As a car bomb smolders outside the gate, sporadic gunfire can be heard coming from the complex.

An upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital is under attack, with a blast and heavy gunfire. Witnesses and police at the scene are calling it a terror attack.

The complex in Nairobi includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, banks and offices. Several vehicles are burning. People are being rushed and carried from the scene.

Gunfire continues several minutes after the first reports. Black smoke rises from the scene.

Police spokesman Charles Owino says that "we have sent officers to the scene, including from the anti-terrorism unit, but so far we have no more information."

Ambulances, security forces and firefighters have rushed to the scene, sirens wailing. A large group of women have been hurried out by security forces, one woman still in hair curlers.

What appear to be plainclothes security forces are seen inching their way toward the scene, guns in hand. Helicopters can be heard. Other people appear to be taking cover behind fountains and other features in the lush outdoor complex.

The attack immediately reminds many Kenyans of the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi in 2013, when al-Shabab extremists burst into the luxury shopping center, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege that left 67 people dead.
At least 12 are killed in an attack on a hotel in Kenya. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility.