Al Shabab terror group storms hotel in Somali capital Mogadishu

Al Shabab terror group has attacked a popular hotel near the presidential palace in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, security sources and witnesses said.

The assault, for which Al Shabaab claimed responsibility, began at around 9:45 pm [1845 GMT] on Thursday when gunmen stormed the SYL hotel in a hail of bullets.

"Several gunmen forced their way into the building after destroying the perimeter wall with a heavy explosion," security officer Ahmed Dahir told the AFP news agency.

It was not immediately clear if there were casualties.

Witnesses described hearing the attackers shoot indiscriminately.

"I don't know about the casualties, but there were many people inside when the attack started," said Hassan Nur, who escaped by scaling a wall.

Deadly insurgency

Al Shabab has been waging an insurgency against the internationally backed federal government for more than 16 years and have often targeted hotels, which tend to host high-ranking Somali and foreign officials.

Although the group was driven out of the capital by an African Union force, it retains a strong presence in rural Somalia and regularly carry out attacks against political and civilian targets, including in Mogadishu.

The beleaguered central government launched a major offensive against Al Shabab in August 2022, joining forces with local clan militias.

But the offensive has suffered setbacks despite early gains.