Five people, plus four attackers, were killed in an attack at a hotel in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday, according to Somali police.
The deadly siege at the Afrik hotel which left 10 other civilians injured ended after Somali security forces battled militants for eight hours, police spokesperson Sadik Aden Ali said at a press conference early on Monday.
The attack began on Sunday afternoon 5 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) with a car bombing at the gate of the hotel frequented by government officials and politicians.
General Mohamed Nur Galaal — a retired veteran military officer who once served as country’s defense minister in 1991 — was among those killed in the attack, according to police.
Dozens of other civilians were rescued by the security forces. Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble both condemned the attack and sent their condolences to those who lost their loved ones.
“My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of the heinous terror attack in Hotel Afrik including Gen Mohamed Nur Galal who served his country with valor for over 50 years,” Roble said via Twitter.
