UN condemns terrorist attack at Mogadishu hotel

The top UN envoy for Somalia on Wednesday condemned truck bombing of the SYL Hotel in Mogadishu on Tuesday in which 22 people were killed and 30 others injured.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) in Somalia, Michael Keating, also wished those who were injured in the attack quick recovery.

"Violent extremists have once again bombed a hotel in the Somali capital," Keating said, noting that Tuesday's bombing marked the third such attack on the SYL Hotel since the beginning of 2015.

Keating said the attack on Syl Hotel provides powerful evidence of the extraordinary resilience of the Somali people, who refuse to be cowed by Al-Shabaab's campaign of terror.

Several senior government officials and members of the federal parliament were attending a meeting inside the hotel at the time of the blast, but none was among the fatalities.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims who perished in today's attack," said the SRSG. "We wish the injured a full and speedy recovery."

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place in the vicinity of the presidential palace and the federal parliament building.

Source : XINHUA