At least eight people were killed in an attack on a hotel in Somalia in the port city of Kismayo. Gunmen entered the Tawakal Hotel on Sunday after an explosives-rigged car rammed the entrance of the building. More than seven hours after the attack began, Somali security forces stormed the building, killing the gunmen and rescuing dozens of hostages.
The Islamist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabab, which is affiliated with al-Qaida, has been in a long-running conflict with Somalia’s federal government and has worked to overthrow the government. It is the latest in a series of al-Shabab attacks on hotels in Somalia, mostly centered on the capital, Mogadishu, and the center of the country.
The organization said it attacked the civilian hotel because members of the federal government of Jubaland, where Kismayo is located, were meeting in the hotel at the time.