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              Explosions, Gunfire Reported Outside Mogadishu Hotel

   by VOA News

   Witnesses in Somalia's capital say three bombs have exploded outside a
   prominent hotel, causing an unknown number of casualties.
   Government security forces and African Union peacekeepers sealed off
   the streets Wednesday around the Jazeera hotel, soon after two car
   bombs went off in quick succession near the hotel gate.
   Witnesses reported hearing gunfire after the initial blasts. Later, a
   third bomb exploded outside the hotel.
   A local reporter told VOA's Somali Service that the bombs and shooting
   caused a number of deaths and injuries. Ambulances were seen collecting
   the wounded.
   There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Somali
   militant group al-Shabab has carried out similar attacks in Mogadishu
   in the past.
   The hotel is located near the Mogadishu airport and the offices of the
   U.N. Development Program, which al-Shabab attacked last year.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/explosion-gunfire-outside-mogadishu-hotel/1821553.html