MOGADISHU: A suicide truck bomb exploded outside a popular hotel in Somalia 's capital on Saturday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 30, and gunfire continued as security forces pursued other attackers inside the building, police said. Other victims included a senior Somali police colonel, a former lawmaker and a former government minister. He said he saw at least three armed men in military uniforms running toward the hotel after the bombing at its gate. "I think they were al-Shabab fighters who were trying to storm the hotel," he said, lying on a hospital bed. Police Col. Mohamed Abdullahi says the bomber stopped outside the heavily fortified hotel and pretended to repair the truck before finally turning it around and detonating.Al-Shabab often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu.

Source: Times of India October 28, 2017 21:58 UTC