Mogadishu, Oct 28 (AP) A suicide car bomb explodedoutside a popular hotel in Somalia's capital today, killing atleast 18 people and wounding more than 30, and gunfirecontinued as security forces pursued the attackers inside thebuilding, police said.
Two more blasts were heard, one when an attackerdetonated a suicide vest.
Speaking to The Associated Press by telephone from thescene, Capt Mohamed Hussein said more than 20 people,including government officials, were thought to be trapped assecurity forces battled extremists holed up on the top floorof the Nasa-Hablod hotel, close to the presidential palace.
Two of the five attackers were killed on the first floor,Hussein said. The others hurled grenades and cut off thebuilding's electricity as night fell.
Today's blasts came two weeks after more than 350 peoplewere killed in a massive truck bombing on a busy Mogadishustreet in the country's worst-ever attack.
Al-Shabab, Africa's deadliest Islamic extremist group,quickly claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack and saidits fighters were inside the hotel. As night fell, sporadicgunfire could be heard as soldiers responded.
A senior Somali police colonel and a former lawmaker wereamong the dead, Hussein said.
Mohamed Dek Haji said he survived the bombing as hewalked beside a parked car that was largely destroyed by theexplosion. He said he saw at least three armed men in militaryuniforms running toward the hotel after the suicide bombing atits gate.
"I think they were al-Shabab fighters who were trying tostorm the hotel," he said, lying on a hospital bed. Hesuffered small injuries on his shoulder and skull from flyingglass.
Witnesses in some previous attacks have said al-Shababfighters disguised themselves by wearing military uniforms.
Al-Shabab often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu.
It has not commented on the massive attack two weeks ago;experts have said the death toll was so high that the grouphesitated to further anger Somali citizens as its pursues itsinsurgency.
Since the blast two weeks ago, President MohamedAbdullahi Mohamed has visited regional countries to seek moresupport for the fight against the extremist group, vowing a"state of war."He also faces the challenge of pulling together regionalpowers inside his long-fractured country, where the federalgovernment is only now trying to assert itself beyondMogadishu and other major cities.
A 22,000-strong multinational African Union force inSomalia is expected to withdraw its forces and hand over thecountry's security to the Somali military by the end of 2020.
US military officials and others in recent months haveexpressed concern that Somali forces are not yet ready.
The US military also has stepped up military effortsagainst al-Shabab this year in Somalia, carrying out nearly 20drone strikes, as the global war on extremism moves deeperinto the African continent. (AP)UZM.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.