The June 2016 Mogadishu attacks were two similar attacks on hotels that occurred in Mogadishu, Somalia on 1 June and 25 June 2016. Dozens of people were killed in the attacks and many more were wounded.
The Ambassador Hotel was targeted on 1 June, and the Hotel Naso-Hablod on 25 June.
1 June attack
edit| 1 June 2016 Mogadishu attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of War in Somalia (2009–present) | |
| Date | June 1, 2016 – June 2, 2016 |
| Target | Ambassador Hotel |
Attack type | Car bombing, suicide bombing shooting, hostage-taking |
| Deaths | 16 victims[1] 3 terrorists |
| Injured | 55 |
| Perpetrators | Al-Shabaab |
No. of participants | 3 |
The attack came shortly after Somali officials announced that they had killed senior Al-Shabaab member Mohamed Kuno, who is believed to have been the mastermind behind the Garissa University attack. 16 other militants were killed along with Kuno.[2]
The attack involved at least three attackers, one of whom was killed detonating the car bomb and the other two died after being shot by police inside the hotel.[3] Most of the victims were pedestrians and drivers on the road on which the car bomb exploded.[4] Also among the deceased victims included two Somali MPs: Abdullahi Jama Kabaweyne and Mohamoud Mohamed Gure.[5]
The attack is one in a long list of hotel attacks committed by al-Shabaab in Mogadishu since 2015.
The attack occurred shortly before Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was supposed to arrive in a hotel along the same road as the Hotel Ambassador.[6]
25 June attack
edit| 25 June 2016 Mogadishu attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of War in Somalia (2009–present) | |
| Location | Mogadishu, Somalia |
| Date | 25 June 2016 |
| Target | Naso-Hablod hotel |
Attack type | Suicide bombing, car bombing, hostage-taking |
| Deaths | 15+ (including attackers) |
| Injured | 25+ |
| Perpetrators | Al-Shabaab |
No. of participants | 4+ |
On 25 June 2016, Al-Shabaab conducted a similar attack on another hotel in Mogadishu. A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the hotel, after which gunmen stormed the hotel and took hostages before being killed in a shootout with police. At least 15 people were killed, including State Environment Minister Bur’i Mohamed Hamza, and more than 25 were injured.[7]
The hotel attacked was the Naso-Hablod hotel, which is frequented by tourists and politicians. At least four men were involved in the attack.[8] The victims were mostly civilians on the street where the car bomb exploded,[7] but also included some of the hotel's security guards.[8]
30 June attack
edit| 30 June 2016 Mogadishu attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of War in Somalia (2009–present) | |
| Location | Lafoole, Mogadishu, Somalia |
| Date | 30 June 2016 |
Attack type | Bombing |
| Deaths | at least 20 |
On 30 June 2016, at least 20 civilians were killed when a roadside bomb went off in Lafoole town, southwest of Mogadishu, blowing up a packed mini-bus that was passing by. Although no group claim responsibility, Al-Shabaab is suspected.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "16 dead, 55 injured in Somalia hotel attack". RTÉ.ie. 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Garissa university attack plotter 'dead'". BBC News. June 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ "Gunmen attack Mogadishu hotel, Somali officials say". CNN. June 2016.
- ^ Dearden, Lizzie. "Mogadishu hotel attack: At least three dead after as al-Shabaab launch bomb and shooting assault in Somalia". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ "Somalia attack: MPs among dead in hotel blast and gun raid". BBC News. June 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ "Toll rises in al-Shabab attack on Mogadishu hotel".
- ^ a b Nor, Omar (25 June 2016). "Gunmen storm hotel in Mogadishu; 15 killed, police say". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ a b "Somalia: Deadly al-Shabab attack on Mogadishu hotel". BBC News. 25 June 2016.
- ^ "At least 18 killed by a roadside bomb in Somalia". Reuters UK. 30 June 2016.