Somali PM vows action after deadly hotel siege

Somali Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre has pledged to hold accountable officials who failed to prevent the deadly al-Shabab attack on Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu. (BBC)

Mr Barre made the remarks on state-owned Somali National TV after the security forces ended a nearly 35-hour siege on the popular hotel.

“We cannot tolerate a repeat of what happened,” he said and vowed that “those who neglected their duties would be held accountable”.

Health Minister Ali Hajji Aden said that 21 people were killed and 117 wounded in the fighting between security forces and al-Shabab militants at the hotel.

Mr Barre visited the wounded and said those who were seriously injured would be taken outside the country for specialised treatment.

The Somali government was widely criticised for failing to quickly end the hotel siege.

Politicians expressed concern over the presence of different units of the security forces without a central command in Mogadishu, which they said was in itself “a security threat”.

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