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Gunmen Kill 31 in Somalia Hotel Attack

   VOA News 24 August 2010
   A  nurse  treats  a wounded civilian at Medina hospital, Mogadishu, 24
   Aug 2010

Photo: AP

   A  nurse treats a wounded civilian at Medina hospital in Mogadishu, 24
   Aug 2010

   Gunmen  stormed  a  hotel  in the Somali capital of Mogadishu Tuesday,
   spraying  bullets and killing at least 31 people, including members of
   parliament.
   The Somali ministry of information blamed the attack on al-Shabab, one
   of the Islamist militant groups trying to topple the government.
   A  statement  said "a couple" of gunmen invaded Mogadishu's Muna Hotel
   early  Tuesday  dressed  as  government security forces.  It says the
   militants  then  fired  indiscriminately  at  civilians before blowing
   themselves up.
   Witnesses said gunfire continued for about an hour in the hotel.  The
   government said five security officers were among those killed.
   The  Muna  Hotel is popular among Somali lawmakers and officials.  It
   is located near Somalia's presidential palace, one of the few areas of
   Mogadishu controlled by the government.
   On  Monday, al-Shabab announced a new offensive against the government
   and  African  Union  troops that support it.  At least 29 people were
   killed in clashes before the hotel attack.
   The  al-Shabab  announcement  came  as the AU said hundreds of Ugandan
   troops  had  arrived to bolster the 6,000-member AU peacekeeping force
   in Mogadishu.
   The AU force helps the government maintain control of key sites in the
   capital, mainly the airport, seaport and presidential palace.
   But  al-Shabab  and  fellow  Islamist  group  Hizbul Islam control the
   majority  of  the  city  in  addition  to  large parts of southern and
   central  Somalia.  The groups have imposed a harsh form of sharia, or
   Islamic law, in the areas under their rule.
   Last  month, al-Shabab carried out its first attack outside of Somalia
   -  bombings  in  Uganda  that  killed 76 people watching the World Cup
   final on television.
   Somalia  has  been  without a stable central government since dictator
   Mohamed  Siad  Barre  fled the country in 1991. Years of fighting have
   ravaged  the  Horn  of  Africa  nation,  killing thousands and forcing
   hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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