UAE condemns terrorist attack on Mogadishu hotel

The UAE has strongly condemned a terrorist attack that targeted a hotel in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries to innocent people.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of international law.

The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the government and people of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and to the families of the victims of this heinous crime, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.

Three soldiers were killed and 27 people wounded in the attack on a hotel in Somalia's capital, police said on Friday, the latest incident highlighting al Shabaab insurgents' ability to strike.

Security services were earlier seen surrounding the Syl Hotel, usually frequented by government officials and lawmakers, following the late Thursday attack claimed by the al Qaeda-allied militants.

"Three soldiers died. Eighteen civilians and nine soldiers were injured in the hotel attack, Kasim Ahmed Roble, police spokesperson, told a news conference. "All the five terrorists were shot dead and their bodies displayed."

Al Shabaab has been waging a brutal insurgency against Somalia's federal government since 2006 to try to establish its own rule based on its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

In Thursday's attack, residents heard a blast followed by gunfire as the attackers entered the hotel, they told Reuters.

A second blast followed several minutes later, a Reuters journalist and a resident said.