Somali leaders worried as beachside hotel terrorist attack death toll rises to 35

Mogadishu: Somali leaders on Saturday called on security agencies to remain vigilant following a brutal attack by al-Shabab fighters at a popular beachside hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu Friday night.

The attack by a suicide bomber targeting Lido Beach View, the hotel, left at least 35 people dead and 126 others wounded, according to Police spokesperson Abdifitah Aden Hassan.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre convened an emergency security meeting in Mogadishu in the wake of the vicious attack.

The president who received a briefing on how the terrorists breached the security at Lido Beach wished speedy recovery of those who were injured and are hospitalized.

“The terrorist attack on Lido Beach shows the brutality of al-Shabab and their hostility towards Somali people. The government is committed to eradicating this group from the whole country,” Mohamud said in a statement issued in Mogadishu after the emergency meeting.

He said that the success in the war against terrorism depends on the support and cooperation of the Somali people. The president called on the people to cooperate with the security agencies while uniting to eradicate al-Shahab from the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

The latest attack for which the al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility on their official pro-Shabab radio, claiming they killed 54 people, began at 10 p.m., local time, Friday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance of the Lido Beach View.

Five other attackers stormed the area where many residents were either eating, swimming or walking.

Aden, the police spokesman, said security forces later battled the fighters and killed all the attackers at the scene and captured another one who was driving a car laden with explosives.

According to Aden, one soldier was killed and another sustained injuries during the exchange of fire.

Prime Minister Barre described the attack as a barbaric atrocity fundamentally contradictory to the cherished values of religion and culture upheld by the Somali people. He urged the unified support of the people with the victims and ongoing emergency operations in the aftermath of this tragic incident. He extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased while offering prayers for the swift recovery of the injured.

The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, strongly condemned the heinous attack on the popular hangout spot surrounded by striking beach hotels and restaurants, which are a favorite for many Somalis.

IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wished a swift and full recovery to those injured.

“We denounce this barbaric act of terror in the strongest terms. Such cowardly attacks will not undermine the resolve of the Somali government, its resilient people, or the region at large. Instead, it will strengthen our collective determination to rebuild Somalia and eliminate the scourge of terrorism,” Workneh said in a statement.

The militants have in the past carried out attacks on several beachside restaurants along the Lido beach in Mogadishu, the recent attack last year resulted in the death of more than ten people.

Analysts say the attack on popular beach resorts by al-Shabab militants confirmed the terrorist network is determined to reassert its authority in the Somalia capital after it was weakened by African Union troops.

IANS