US condemns Al-Shabaab attacks on Somali hotel

The US condemned the terrorist attack carried out on the Central Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia and extended its deepest condolences to the families of those killed, indicated State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki on Friday.
“This murderous attack targeting government ministers and Members of Parliament, once again, highlights that al-Shabaab stands only for death and destruction and is firmly opposed to the Somali people’s efforts to build a secure and prosperous future,” Psaki told reporters.
The Islamist rebel group detonated a car bomb near a hotel in the Somali capital earlier today then set off another bomb inside where politicians had gathered, killing at least 10 people, including a lawmaker and lightly wounding two ministers.
Al-Shabaab aims to topple the Western-backed federal government and impose its strict version of Islamic Sharia law on the Horn of Africa nation that is struggling to rebuild after two decades of war.