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2nd LD Writethru: Somali hotel blast kills 5 ahead of Turkish leader's visit

Xinhua, January 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least five people were killed and several others injured in a suicide car bomb at a heavily guarded hotel Thursday near presidential villa in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the country on Friday.

The car bomb may have targeted a delegation of Turkish officials who were meeting at the SYL Hotel, said government officials, adding that no Turkish delegate was injured in the attack.

"A car landed with explosives blew up at the gate of the hotel when security guards tried to stop it from passing. Two guards died on the spot and three others were injured," said a police officer.

Separate sources said the death toll could be higher, saying five government officials also died in the attack.

Somali militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack, which its operations spokesman said was aimed at disrupting security meeting held by Turkish and Somali officials.

This is Erdogan's second visit to Somalia, the first being in his role as Turkish Prime Minister in 2011. The Turkish leader will hold bilateral discussions with his host, focusing on ongoing Turkish development cooperation and other issues. Endi