Chinese embassy guard killed in Mogadishu hotel bombing
Print Edition
AN armed police officer at the Chinese Embassy in Somalia has been confirmed as one of the fatalities in Sunday’s suicide car bombing attack at the Jazeera Palace hotel.
The embassy said three other officers were wounded in the incident, which, at the latest count, killed at least 13 people and injured more than 40 at the latest count.
China was greatly shocked by the al-Shabab attack and strongly condemns it, said Lu Kang, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He offered sincere condolences for the loss of life.
China has lodged representations with the Somali side both in Mogadishu and in Beijing and moved embassy staff to a safe area, Lu said.
The ministry will maintain close communication with relevant departments and properly handle the aftermath, he said, adding that it will also closely follow the local situation, beef up security measures, and protect the safety and interests of Chinese organizations and people in the country.
The embassy, on the top two floors of the hotel, had its offices partially damaged in the attack, which was one of the fiercest in Mogadishu and caused panic among hotel staff and local residents.
“It was like an earthquake. I saw people die and others were screaming and running away from here and there,” said Adbi Deeq, a hotel employee.
Duniya Mohamed, a doctor at Madina Hospital, said they had received 45 injured people, some of whom were in a serious condition.
“Some people got burnt; doctors are doing their best to save their lives,” he told reporters.
Al-Shabab, a Somalia-based militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack on pro-militant radio station Andalus shortly after the bomb attack on the hotel.
The organization said the attack was in response to recent operations by African Union and Somali forces in the southern Somali regions of Dinsoor and Bardhere, and it targeted the hotel because it houses “Western” embassies coordinating the offensive.
The attack came a day after the murder of a Somali lawmaker in Mogadishu.
The extremist group has regularly launched attacks in Somalia in recent years and has been targeting neighboring Kenya since 2011, when Kenyan troops entered Somalia to aid the government in its fight against the terrorist group.
The incident was the latest in a series of blasts and killings in the war-torn nation.
On July 10, al-Shabab orchestrated a string of assaults on two hotels and a stadium in the capital, killing six people, including a parliamentarian and a senior government official.
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