MOGADISHU — Somalia’s President
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Tuesday pledged “an all-out war” to eliminate Al-Shabaab in
his first statement to the nation since the terrorists staged a deadly 30-hour
hotel siege in Mogadishu.
اضافة اعلان
The attack, which began on Friday night, was the
biggest to hit Somalia’s capital since Mohamud took office in June and
underscored the challenge of trying to crush the 15-year insurgency by the
Al-Qaeda-linked group.
At least 21 people died and 117 others were wounded
in the gun and bomb attack targeting the popular Hayat Hotel, with the
fatalities including Norwegian citizens, according to Norway’s government.
“I know that the Somali people are fed up with the
endless condolences and mourning, I know that you lose respectable people in
every attack carried out by the terrorists,” Mohamud said.
“So I call upon you to be prepared for an all-out
war against the ruthless (people) who are hostile to our peace,” he said in a
statement released by the presidency.
“We are
determined to weaken the terrorists who destroy our people till all the areas
they control are liberated, this is a priority for our government and the
preparation and implementation of that plan is ongoing,” he said, without
elaborating.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mohamud convened a national
security committee meeting attended by the prime minister, interior minister,
and the foreign minister, as well as the country’s defense chiefs.
‘Never surrender’
In a televised speech later
in the evening, Mohamud told citizens to have no doubt that “Somalia will
defeat the enemy that is oppressing its country, people, and religion.”
“Our government, army, and people will never
surrender until we have a Somalia that is free from terrorists,” he said.
The Hayat was a favored meeting spot for government
officials and scores of people were inside when a suicide bomber triggered a
massive blast, enabling heavily armed gunmen to enter the hotel.
Minutes later, a second explosion struck as
rescuers, security forces and civilians rushed to help the injured, witnesses
said.
The siege only ended at around midnight Saturday
after security forces bombarded the building, leaving much of it in ruins.
Somalia’s allies, including the
US, Britain, the EU,
and
Turkey, as well as the UN, strongly condemned the attack, as did ATMIS, the
African Union force tasked with helping Somali forces take over primary
responsibility for security by the end of 2024.
Earlier this month, Washington said its forces had
killed 13 Al-Shabaab operatives in an air raid, the latest strike since
President Joe Biden in May ordered the re-establishment of a US troop presence
in Somalia, reversing a decision by Donald Trump.
Mohamud, who was elected in May after a protracted
political crisis, said last month that ending the insurgency required more than
a military approach, but that his government would negotiate with Al-Shabaab
only when the time was right.
The group has carried out several attacks in the
mainly Muslim country since his election.
Last month it also mounted an incursion into
neighboring
Ethiopia and raided a military base on the border.
The Islamist militants, who espouse a strict version
of Sharia (Islamic law), were driven out of Mogadishu by an
African Union force
in 2011.
But they still control swathes of countryside and
retain the ability to launch deadly strikes, often hitting hotels and
restaurants as well as military and political targets.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
