At least 26 killed in Kismayo terror attack

Nairobi: At least 26 people were killed while 56 others were left injured in a deadly terrorist attack on a hotel in southern Somalia, officials said on Saturday.

Jubbaland State president Ahmed Madobe said 10 foreigners from Kenya, Canada, America and Tanzania were among those killed.

The attack occured in the port town of Kismayo. A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into a popular hotel before attackers forced their way inside.

Madobe said the attack at the hotel, which is popular with lawmakers and ministers, was staged by four militants, noting that Jubbaland security forces managed to kill three of them while the fourth one was a suicide bomber.

He said three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, a Canadian and a Briton who were residing in the hotel, were killed.

The Somali journalists association confirmed that two journalists were among those killed in the Kismayo hotel attack.

According to the Somali Journalists Syndicate, Mohamed Omar Sahar, a SBC TV correspondent based in Kismayo, and Hodan Naleyeh, a television journalist and founder of Integration TV, were both killed in the attack.

A terror group fighting to topple the international-backed government, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group still stages attacks against Somali and African Union peacekeeping forces, targeting bases, hotels and other public places despite intensified operations from forces allied to the country's internationally recognised government.