Death toll in Somalia port city attack rises to 9

At least nine people were killed and more than 47 others wounded after the death toll rose from a terror attack on a popular hotel in the southern port city of Kismayo, officials said, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Jubaland state officials, who spoke to reporters after security forces ended an Al-Shabaab siege on Sunday, said the attack began with a bombing, followed by gunfire after the terrorists stormed the Tawakal Hotel.

State Security Minister, Yusuf Hussein, told reporters that government forces killed three attackers who entered the hotel after a suicide bombing at its entrance on Sunday.

He said civilians, including school children, were among the dead.

More than 47 people, mostly civilians, were also wounded in the attack, all of whom were  rushed to hospitals for treatment, according to Hussein.

Tawakal Hotel is a popular venue frequented by Jubaland state and security officials in Kismayo, the administrative capital of Jubaland, located 500 kilometres (310 miles) south of the national capital, Mogadishu.

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The Al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack and said it involved a suicide bombing before its fighters entered the hotel.

The attack comes as the Somali military continues its offensive against Al-Shabaab in the central region of the Horn of Africa country, reportedly gaining significant ground against it.

Somalia has been grappling with security threats for years, with Al-Shabaab being one of the main ones in the country.

Since at least 2007, Al-Shabaab has waged a deadly campaign against the Somali government and international forces that has claimed thousands of lives.

The UN has warned of growing instability in the country, with its periodic reports on Somalia this year, detailing attacks by Al-Shabaab and groups aligned with the Daesh terror group.

At least 1,242 civilians were killed in terrorist attacks in Somalia in 2018-2019, while 1,735 were injured, according to the UN in Somalia.