Updated: Somali militant siege ends, at least 29 civilians dead

[Eugene]

Last edited Fri Mar 1, 2019, 02:55 PM - Edit history (1)

EDIT: article updated at link

Original headline: Gun battle rages between Al Shabaab and Somali troops after hotel attack

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Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS MARCH 1, 2019 / 12:22 AM / UPDATED 29 MINUTES AGO

Somali militant siege ends, at least 29 civilians dead

Abdi Sheikh, Feisal Omar
4 MIN READ

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali government troops shot dead three Islamist militants holed up in a building in central Mogadishu on Friday, police said, ending a day-long bomb and gun attack that killed at least 29 civilians.

Islamist al Shabaab fighters launched the assault with a suicide car bomb outside the Maka Al-Mukarama hotel on Thursday evening, destroying other structures, igniting a huge fire and leaving people wounded in the rubble.

The militants - who are fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government - fled to a neighboring building and opened fire on special forces and other soldiers sent to flush through out throughout Friday.

“The operation is over and the building is now controlled by the security forces. The three militants were shot dead, their bodies are inside the building,” police officer Captain Osman Mohamed told Reuters late on Friday afternoon.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-security/gun-battle-rages-between-al-shabaab-and-somali-troops-after-hotel-attack-idUSKCN1QI3K4