Nine slain in Somali capital restaurant attack. Al Shabaab Islamist terrorists attacked an upscale restaurant in Mogadishu on Friday night, killing nine people, authorities said.
Six civilians and three militaries were murdered in Pearl restaurant, authorities said. Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of the Aamin Ambulance service, said his group had evacuated 20 wounded persons.
Police stated security forces rescued 84 bystanders while the assailants’ fate was unknown.
On Twitter, the Somali National News Agency said, “Security forces have successfully neutralised the al Shabaab militants responsible for the terrorist attack on the Pearl Beach Hotel in Lido Beach, Mogadishu.”
On Saturday, restaurant debris littered the bloody street. Windows broke.
When the attack began, Hussein Mohamed, a neighboring restaurant waiter, heard a boom and gunfire.
“Security cordoned off the area,” he stated. Al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.
“The Mujahideen managed to enter the Pearl beach and are still fully in control,” the group added.
In November, the gang, which controls parts of the country, stormed another Mogadishu hotel, killing nine.
After a year of government counteroffensives, Al Shabaab lost control of much of Somalia. The militants can still strike government, commercial, and military objectives.
54 Ugandan peacekeepers were killed in late May when its fighters stormed a base 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Mogadishu.
