Somali security forces end al-Shabab siege that killed 10

By OMAR FARUK
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Security forces in Somalia have ended a siege by al-Shabab extremists that killed 10 people and wounded three others at a home in the capital, Mogadishu.

The Information Ministry late Tuesday said the al-Qaida-linked fighters launched the rare attack on a private home with a suicide bombing. Al-Shabab often attacks hotels and government buildings.

Al-Shabaab claimed that the home of a senior army officer also contained members of the Macawisley militia who had been wounded in the ongoing offensive against the extremists that began last year. The al-Shabab statement was released by the group’s radio arm, Andalus.

Dozens of communities in central Somalia have been recaptured from al-Shabab during the offensive, which has led the extremists to carry out retaliatory attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere.