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Somali Troops End Militants' Siege of Mogadishu Hotel

Harun Maruf

   WASHINGTON - Somali security forces battled militants for more than
   four hours Sunday before ending an attack and siege of a beachfront
   hotel.

   Ismail Mukhtar, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information, said 11
   people were killed, one of them a security agent. Ambulance services
   earlier reported evacuating nearly 30 more injured victims.

   Officials and witnesses told VOA Somali that just before 6 p.m. local
   time, a suicide car bomb exploded outside the Elite hotel at
   Mogadishu's popular Lido Beach. Moments later four armed gunmen stormed
   the hotel.

   Security forces arrived at the scene immediately after the attack began
   and took over responsibility of ousting the attackers from hotel
   guards.

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