Somali security forces end al-Shabab siege that killed 10

FILE – Al-Shabab fighters conduct military exercise in northern Mogadishu’s Suqaholaha neighborhood, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010. The heads of states of Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya have agreed to organize a campaign to “search and destroy” al-Shabab terrorist group that has carried out attacks in the region. In a joint communique issued on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023 after a summit, the leaders said the military campaign will “prevent any future infiltrating elements into the wider region.” (AP Photo/ Farah Abdi Warsameh, file)

by: OMAR FARUK, Associated Press

Posted: Feb 22, 2023 / 01:00 AM EST

Updated: Feb 22, 2023 / 01:10 AM EST

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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.