Somalia hotel attack

This item appears on page 16 of the March 2017 issue.

Militants attacked a hotel in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, on Jan. 26, killing at least 28 people and injuring more than 40 others. Somali armed forces killed at least four of the militants. The hotel was housing Somali members of Parliament as well as foreign journalists. The Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, currently embroiled in a civil war in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack.

A car bomb was used to blow open the entrance of the hotel, after which gunmen entered and attacked guests. A second car bomb targeted people who had gathered in the area.

On Jan. 27, al-Shabaab fighters attacked Kenyan soldiers stationed in southern Somalia. The group claimed to have killed more than 50 soldiers and seized weapons and vehicles. However, Kenyan army officials said the attack had been fended off.