Nine Killed as Somali Troops Overpower Militants to End Hotel Siege

A general view shows a section of the Presidential Palace area where the al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants attacked Villa Rose hotel, which is close to the palace, in Bondhere district, of Mogadishu, Somalia November 28, 2022. (Reuters)
A general view shows a section of the Presidential Palace area where the al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants attacked Villa Rose hotel, which is close to the palace, in Bondhere district, of Mogadishu, Somalia November 28, 2022. (Reuters)
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Nine Killed as Somali Troops Overpower Militants to End Hotel Siege

A general view shows a section of the Presidential Palace area where the al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants attacked Villa Rose hotel, which is close to the palace, in Bondhere district, of Mogadishu, Somalia November 28, 2022. (Reuters)
A general view shows a section of the Presidential Palace area where the al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants attacked Villa Rose hotel, which is close to the palace, in Bondhere district, of Mogadishu, Somalia November 28, 2022. (Reuters)

Somali security forces stormed a hotel in the capital late on Monday ending a siege by al-Shabaab militants following a nearly day-long battle in which at least nine people were killed, police said. 

Gunfire crackled from inside the building as the special forces fought the militants more than 12 hours after the extremist group stormed the building in the center of Mogadishu. 

The assault underscores the continuing ability of the al-Qaeda-allied militants to stage deadly attacks with sometimes high casualties inside the city even as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's government presses an offensive against them. 

"The operation at the hotel Rosa has been concluded," Sadik Aden Ali, a police spokesperson said. 

Ali said the militants had killed eight civilians and later added that one soldier had also died in the hotel siege. 

"The ... terrorists killed nine people including a soldier," he said. 

Five soldiers were also injured in the gunfight, he said, adding that six al-Shabaab fighters had been involved in the attack on the hotel. 

"One blew himself up and five were shot dead by the security forces," Ali said, adding that 60 civilians had been rescued. 



US Adding Second Aircraft Carrier in Middle East

A photo released by the US military shows an F/A-18 Super Hornet warplane taking off from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier on March 16, 2025 - AFP
A photo released by the US military shows an F/A-18 Super Hornet warplane taking off from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier on March 16, 2025 - AFP
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US Adding Second Aircraft Carrier in Middle East

A photo released by the US military shows an F/A-18 Super Hornet warplane taking off from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier on March 16, 2025 - AFP
A photo released by the US military shows an F/A-18 Super Hornet warplane taking off from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier on March 16, 2025 - AFP

The United States is increasing the number of aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East to two, keeping one that is already there and sending another from the Indo-Pacific, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

The announcement comes as US forces hammer Yemen's Houthis with near-daily airstrikes in a campaign aimed at ending the threat they pose to civilian shipping and military vessels in the region.

The Carl Vinson will join the Harry S. Truman in the Middle East "to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

"To complement the CENTCOM maritime posture, the secretary also ordered the deployment of additional squadrons and other air assets that will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities," Parnell said, referring to the US military command responsible for the region, AFP reported.

"The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security in the CENTCOM (area of responsibility) and are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region," he added.

The Houthis began targeting shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the start of the Gaza war in 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.

Houthi attacks have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic. Ongoing attacks are forcing many companies into a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa.

- 'Real pain' -

A day before the carrier announcement, US President Donald Trump vowed that strikes on Yemen's Houthis would continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.

"The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Trump added that the Houthis had been "decimated" by "relentless" strikes since March 15, saying that US forces "hit them every day and night -- Harder and harder."

On Wednesday, the Houthis accused the United States of killing four people in fresh airstrikes on Hodeidah province.

The US president has also ramped up rhetoric towards Tehran, threatening that "there will be bombing" if Iran does not reach a deal on its nuclear program.

Satellite images seen by AFP showed that Washington had between March 26 and Wednesday doubled the number of B-2 bombers at a US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, from three to six.

The photos from imaging company Planet Labs PBC also showed the presence of six Stratotanker in-flight refuelling aircraft at the Diego Garcia base, within range of Iran.

Trump's threats come as his administration battles a scandal over the accidental leak of a secret group chat by senior security officials on the Yemen strikes.

The Atlantic magazine revealed last week that its editor -- a well-known US journalist -- was inadvertently included in a chat on the commercially available Signal app where top officials were discussing the strikes.

The officials, including Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussed details of airstrike timings and intelligence -- unaware that the highly sensitive information was being simultaneously read by a member of the media.