At least nine people were killed and 47 have been wounded as a result of an attack by terrorists on a hotel in the southern Somali port city of Kismayo, the 'Garowe Online' portal reported, citing Police.
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"Five people died as a result of the attack on a hotel in the Somali city of Kismayo," it tweeted earlier. Since then the number of victims have increased as rescue operations continue on-site.
Earlier on October 23, the media outlet reported that terrorists from the Al Shabab group attacked the Tawakal hotel, resulting in eight injuries, including students from nearby schools.
According to Halgan media, the hotel assault began with the explosion of a car bomb. The Dalsan television channel, meanwhile, reported that the hotel is a popular venue for meetings of government officials.
Al Shabab, which swore allegiance to the terrorist group Al Qaeda, perpetrates attacks against the government troops of that country, the African Union Mission in Somalia, renamed the Atmis, and UN humanitarian operations.
The group, which is bent on imposing a radical version of Sharia law in Somalia, has also claimed several terrorist attacks in neighboring East African countries, including the massacre at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013.