The Muna Hotel was the scene of a Somalia suicide attack in Mogadishu today. The Muna Hotel death toll now sits at thirty-three people including six lawmakers.The Muna Hotel is frequently used by Somali government officials because of its location near the presidential palace. Today it became the location of one of the nations worse attacks this year.
On Tuesday, suicide gunmen stormed the Muna Hotel, shooting people left and right before blowing themselves up. Local news reports put the suicide attack as lasting for nearly an hour with as many as five of the Muna Hotels security officers quickly killed during the attack. The suicide attack comes 24 hours after the al-Shabab launched an offensive against government officials, kiling 29 people on Monday. In July, al-Shabab killed 76 persons who were watching the World Cup finals in Uganda.
Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Dhere said yesterday We are launching a final war to terminate the invading infidels in Mogadishu and all forces from the Islamic provinces are going to take part and we will wipe out the enemies out of Mogadishu.
Local news reports are still uncertain how many suicide attackers carried out todays offensive. But news confirms six members of the Somali parliament are dead. Th attackers are said to have rushed room to room in the three story hotel today while government officials locked themselves up in rooms; yet news reports say the attackers searched out the officials, even behind those locked doors. Somalias information minister Abdirahman Omar Osman said moments ago They killed everyone they saw inside the hotel and then blew themselves up.