Somali PM vows action after deadly hotel siege

Somali Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre has pledged to hold accountable those responsible who failed to prevent al-Shabab's deadly attack on the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu. (BBC)

Mr. Barre made the remarks on state-owned Somali National Television after security forces ended a nearly 35-hour siege on the popular hotel.

“We cannot allow what happened to happen again,” he said and promised that “those who neglected their duties would be held accountable.”

Health Minister Ali Hajji Aden said 21 people were killed and 117 injured in fighting between security forces and al-Shabab militants at the hotel.

Mr. Barre visited the injured and said those seriously injured would be taken out of the country for specialist treatment.

The Somali government has been widely criticized for not ending the hotel siege quickly.

The politicians expressed concern about the presence of various units of the security forces without a central command in Mogadishu, which they said was in itself "a security threat".

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