Terror attack on Mogadishu beach Attackers kill at least 32 people

Islamists have attacked a hotel and a popular beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu. At least 32 people were killed and more than 60 people were injured, some of them seriously.

Islamists have attacked a hotel and the popular Lido Beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu. According to a police spokesman, at least 32 people were killed, including the five terrorists. More than 60 people were injured, some of them seriously. It must be assumed that the number of victims will rise.

The exchange of fire between the attackers and the police lasted until the early hours of the morning. The Islamist terrorist militia Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

"I was injured in the arm by an artillery shell," said Shamso Abdi, who had spent the evening with friends at the Lido Beach Hotel. One of her friends had suffered head injuries and was in a critical condition. Panic broke out in the hotel, she told the German Press Agency. "Everyone was running for their lives."

Confusing situation

Horrifying images spread on social media: People fleeing the beach in panic, others lying bleeding and screaming in the sand, as pictures and videos from eyewitnesses show. Shots can be heard in the background. Rescue teams were initially unable to reach the injured as the shooting continued.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at the hotel entrance on Friday evening. The other attackers tried to storm the hotel, but also fired at people on the beach, where many residents were walking or sitting on the sand with friends or relatives at the time of the attack.

Hospitals called for blood donations to treat the many injured. Some relatives of dead beach and hotel visitors posted pictures of their loved ones on social media, while others desperately searched for information about the whereabouts of friends or relatives whose fate they knew nothing about.

Terrorist militia claims responsibility for attack

Lido Beach is a popular destination for Mogadishu residents, especially at weekends. According to police reports, the shooting was preceded by an explosion by a suicide bomber. After years of daily violence and attacks, the possibility of being able to use the beach again was seen as a sign of normalization in the crisis-ridden country on the Horn of Africa.

The terrorist militia Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on its radio station. The Islamists control areas in parts of Somalia, but have been pushed back from the capital in recent years.

Nevertheless, attacks on government facilities and on hotels or restaurants in Mogadishu, where the Islamists consider a Western lifestyle to be prevalent, have occurred time and again. In July, for example, eleven people died in a terrorist attack on a restaurant during the final of the European Football Championship.

One of the worst attacks in a long time

Attacks are not uncommon in the Somali capital, but the bloodbath on the beach is one of the worst terrorist attacks. It came just after the security forces had achieved military successes against Al-Shabaab in recent years and were at least able to push the Islamist fighters out of Mogadishu.

A bit of normality has returned to Mogadishu: the reopening of Lido Beach, which was a no-go area for years, was celebrated a few years ago, and since then groups of friends have been strolling along the beach at weekends or families have been enjoying their time there. Cafés and restaurants in Mogadishu attract mainly young people.

And in January, a football tournament was organized for the first time in more than 30 years at the football stadium, which used to be on the front line between government troops and Islamists.

Residents live in fear

But Al-Shabaab keeps planning attacks - or striking. A suicide bomber was stopped just outside the stadium during the football tournament.

In March, terrorist fighters attacked a hotel in the immediate vicinity of the president's residence, entrenched themselves there and fought an hour-long gun battle with the police.

During the European Championship final, a car bomb exploded in front of a café where numerous football fans were watching the game. It is precisely the attacks on such "soft" targets that terrify the inhabitants of Mogadishu.

Who is Al-Shabaab?

Al-Shabaab has been trying to establish an Islamist theocracy in Somalia for almost 20 years. In the areas under the militia's control, particularly in the center of the country, a radical interpretation of Sharia, the Islamic legal system, prevails.

This includes floggings, mutilations and stonings. UN experts estimated the number of militia fighters at between 7,000 and 12,000 in January.

Al-Shabaab's goals include not only the overthrow of the government in Mogadishu, but also the establishment of a Greater Somalia including the ethnic Somalis in the neighboring states. The militia rejects everything that has to do with what it regards as Western values: Music or sports, theater and entertainment.

The militia is loosely linked to the Al-Qaeda terror network, while another wing of the decentralized group has joined the Islamic State (IS). What they have in common is their fight against the government, but also against representatives of civil society who campaign for women's rights, for example. Journalists have also been repeatedly targeted and murdered.

Terror in other countries too

Al-Shabaab has not been limited to Somalia for a long time. Neighboring countries in particular, which are or have been militarily involved in the fight against the militia, have been the target of attacks.

An explosives attack on a restaurant in Kampala, Uganda, during the 2010 World Cup, where several hundred people were watching the World Cup final, was particularly dramatic. At that time, 74 people died.

In 2013, 67 people died when Al-Shabaab fighters stormed a shopping center in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and entrenched themselves there for hours. Attacks on police officers and civilian targets in the Kenyan-Somali border region are a regular occurrence.

SDA