Gunmen stormed the Naso Hablod hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu Saturday, June 25, after detonating a car filled with explosives at the hotel gate, police Capt. Aden Dahir told CNN. At least 15 people are dead and 25 others are injured.
Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP
The destroyed hotel,seen behind a gas station, is frequented by Somali government officials, lawmakers and security officers, Dahir said. The blast was followed by a gun battle inside the hotel.
SAID YUSUF WARSAME/EPA
A Somali soldier takes position during the attack.
Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP
Somali men help a wounded civilian. Most of those killed and injured were civilians who were passersby and customers of nearby shops and the gas station, police said.
Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP
Security forces examine the scene after the bomb attack.
Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP
A Somali soldier takes position on the street near the scene of the attack, which comes three weeks after suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen set off an explosion and stormed another popular Mogadishu hotel, killing at least 13 people, according to security officials. Three attackers were also killed.