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Somali forces end day-long Mogadishu siege

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Somalia’s special forces have killed all three gunmen who had taken over a building in central Mogadishu, using civilians as human shields, officials say.

Image caption:The attack happened in an area lined with hotels and restaurants

The attack, which killed 20 people, began late on Thursday when al-Shabab militants stormed an area lined with hotels, shops and restaurants.

They then seized a nearby building.
This was the longest siege by the militant group since it was forced out of the Somali capital in 2011.

The final gunman was killed on Friday evening, about 22 hours after the initial attack.

copyright REUTERS/ Image caption: The Maka al-Mukarama road is normally one of the busiest in Mogadishu

The former deputy director of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) says that al-Shabab has increased its attacks in Mogadishu as retaliation for the airstrikes.
Abdisalam Guled was also concerned that this week’s withdrawal of Burundian troops from the African Union force in the city could further jeopardise security.
He also believes that bad management is partly to blame.
“The army and police are overworked and underpaid,” he said.
The US State Department says al-Shabab retains control over large parts of the country and has the ability to carry out high-profile attacks using suicide bombers, explosive devices, mortars and small arms.

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