Al-Shabaab kills dozens in attack on Mogadishu hotel

At least 23 people died Saturday when attackers detonated a suicide truck bomb outside a popular hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Security forces rescued 30 others, including a government minister, amid ongoing gun battles with the attackers, who detonated two more bombs, hurled grenades, and cut off the building’s electricity as night fell. More than 30 people suffered injuries in the blast. Somali-based al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims included a senior Somali police colonel, a former lawmaker and a former government minister. Saturday’s attack came two weeks after another massive truck bomb targeted a different hotel, killing more than 350 people. In the most recent attack, the bomber pretended his truck broke down in front of the heavily fortified Nasa-Hablod hotel. He got out and acted like he was trying to fix the problem before finally detonating the device. Witnesses said other attackers disguised themselves in military uniforms. Security forces claim to have killed three of the five attackers, but gun battles continued into the night.