Somalia Restaurant Siege: 17 Dead, Several Taken Hostages in Mogadishu

Local Editor

Gunmen posing as military forces held an unknown number of hostages inside a popular restaurant in Somalia's capital in an attack that began when a car bomb exploded at the gate, police and a witness said, while the extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.

At least 17 people, including foreigners, were dead, according to police and an ambulance driver.

Two of the gunmen were shot dead and 10 hostages were rescued but five other attackers were thought to remain inside, cutting off electricity to complicate security forces' efforts to end the siege, said Captain Mohamed Hussein, who reported heavy gunfire.

Most of the victims were young men who had been entering the Pizza House when the vehicle exploded, Hussein said.

An ambulance driver said early on Thursday that they had carried 17 bodies and 26 wounded people. Police said the dead included a Syrian man.

The gunmen "were dressed in military uniforms. They forced those fleeing the site to go inside" the restaurant, a witness told the Associated Press.

Wednesday night's blast largely destroyed the restaurant's facade and sparked a fire.

Al-Shabab claimed to have attacked the neighboring Posh Treats restaurant, which is frequented by the city's elite and was damaged in the blast. However, security officials said it was actually the Pizza House that was targeted.

The Somalia-based al-Shabab often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu, including hotels, military checkpoints and areas near the presidential palace. It has vowed to step up attacks after the recently elected government launched a new military offensive against it.

Al-Shabab in 2016 became the deadliest terrorist group in Africa, with more than 4,200 people killed in 2016, according to the Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team