Somali forces end hotel attack in which 20 were killed

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Somali authorities on Sunday ended a deadly attack in which at least 20 people were killed and many others wounded when gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital.

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It took Somali forces more than 30 hours to contain the fighters who had stormed Mogadishu's Hayat Hotel on Friday evening in an assault that started with loud explosions.

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The siege ended around midnight, police commissioner Abdi Hassan Hijar told reporters.

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“During the attack, the security forces rescued many civilians trapped in the hotel, including women and children," he said.

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Police are yet to give a detailed explanation of how the attack unfolded. 

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 It remains unclear how many gunmen entered the hotel.

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Ismail Abdi, the hotel's manager, told The Associated Press that security forces were still working to clear the area.

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No more gunfire could be heard after 9 a.m. local time. Onlookers gathered outside the gates of the badly damaged hotel on Sunday morning, surveying the scene.

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The attack on the hotel is the first major terror incident in Mogadishu since Somalia’s new leader, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, took over in May.

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