Victims lie on the sand at Liido Beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, following a brutal attack by al-Shabaab militants on Friday evening. The assault, which began with a suicide bomber detonating an explosive vest at the Beach View Hotel, resulted in 15 deaths and over 100 injuries. Security forces later neutralized five attackers and evacuated trapped civilians. (Photo by a local resident)
Mogadishu— A deadly attack by al-Shabaab militants at Liido Beach in Mogadishu has left at least 15 people dead and more than 100 injured. The attack began Friday evening with a suicide bomber detonating an explosive vest at the Beach View Hotel, followed by gunmen storming the premises.
State media reports that security forces neutralized five al-Shabaab attackers who stormed the hotel. The terrorists, six in total, included one who blew himself up at the start of the assault. Security forces evacuated many civilians trapped in the area and safely defused an explosive-laden vehicle parked nearby.
Somalia’s state broadcaster confirmed, “The ruthless terrorists attacked innocent civilians at Lido Beach in Mogadishu’s Abdiaziz district on Friday evening. The security forces eliminated all the terrorists behind the cowardly attack. Medical teams and security forces are on the ground to assist the victims wounded in the attacks.”
Eyewitness Mohamud Moalim told The Associated Press that he saw an attacker wearing an explosive vest moments before the man “blew himself up next to the Beach View Hotel.”
Hospitals in the city are appealing for blood donations due to the high number of injured individuals. Concerned individuals have gathered at the gate of Digfer Hospital (Erdogan Hospital) in Mogadishu, where a person reads the names of the wounded over a loudspeaker.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida affiliate in East Africa, has claimed responsibility for the attack through its radio station. However, there has been no official statement from the Federal Government of Somalia yet.
Puntland President Saed Abdullahi Deni expressed his condolences, stating, “We extend our condolences to the families and relatives of those who lost their lives in tonight’s attack by terrorists on people who were spending the evening at Liido Beach in Mogadishu city. The heinous attack tonight in Mogadishu targeting innocent people shows how terrorists are massacring our people. We pray to Allah to grant paradise to those who died and heal those who were injured. Aamiin.”
A photo collage showing some of the victims of the deadly al-Shabaab attack at Liido Beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Friday evening. The assault, which began with a suicide bomber detonating an explosive vest at the Beach View Hotel, resulted in 15 deaths and over 100 injuries. These individuals were among those who tragically lost their lives in the attack. (Photo credit: Hussein Mohamed, Freelance Journalist)
