Fatafat Headlines at this hour | 20.8.2022

Terrorist group Al-Shabaab Friday attacked a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu and took control of it. The assault on the Hayat Hotel triggered an intense gunfight between security forces and gunmen of the jihadist group still holed up inside the building, reported news agency AFP.

"A huge blast went off a few minutes before the gunmen forced their way into the hotel," said the building security officer Abdukadir Hassan, as reported by the news agency.

Reports of casualties have emerged from the scene but there is no exact confirmation on the numbers.

"We don't have the details so far but there are casualties, and the security forces are now engaging with the enemy who are holed up inside the building," Hassan added.