Gunmen storm hotel in central Somalia, siege ongoing

11/3/2025 19:31

Gunmen stormed a hotel in the town of Baladweyne in central Somalia on Tuesday where local elders and government officials were meeting and a siege is ongoing, witnesses and relatives told Reuters.



Dahir Amin Jesow, a federal lawmaker from Baladweyne, said so far at least four people had been killed but that "we are still counting casualties".



Islamist militant group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement and said it had killed over 10 people.



Al Shabaab frequently launches bombings and gun attacks in the fragile Horn of Africa nation as it tries to topple the government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.