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By Aaron Kahan |

21 dead and dozens wounded in siege of Somali hotel

Somalia Extremist Attack
Security forces patrol at the scene, after gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Somali authorities on Sunday ended a deadly attack in which at least 20 people were killed and many others wounded when gunmen from the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which has ties with al-Qaida, stormed the Hayat Hotel in the capital on Friday evening. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

(MOGADISHU, Somalia)– Somali security forces ended a 30-hour attack on a hotel in Somalia’s capital by al-Qaeda-linked terrorists that killed at least 20 civilians.

The siege ended Sunday with the liberation of over 100 hostages after Islamic extremists blasted and shot their way into the hotel.

The Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu is a popular location with politicians and lawmakers, making it a possible target for the most lethal group of Islamic militant extremist groups, Al-Shabaab.

The attackers began the siege with explosives and gunfire, killing several upon entry, according to local authorities.

After the initial attack, the survivors of the ordeal said the extremists began using hostages as human shields as the security forces surrounded the building.

It is unclear how many militants stormed the building, and Somali authorities haven’t given an official statement regarding the numbers of the al-Shabab attackers.