UN Security Council slams attack on Mogadishu hotel

The UN Security Council on Monday condemned "in the strongest terms" the suicide attack on a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, which has caused numerous deaths, including one member of security staff from the Chinese Embassy.

A suicide bomber detonated his car at the gate of the Jazeera Palace Hotel in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, killing 15 people, with most of them being civilians.

A Chinese national, who was an armed guard, was killed and three other staffers were injured in the blast, the Chinese embassy in Somalia confirmed Monday.

In a statement released here to the press, the members of the Security Council offered their condolences to the peoples and governments of the Republic of Somalia and of the People's Republic of China.

The 15-member body recalled the fundamental principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises, and the obligations of host governments to take all appropriate steps to protect diplomatic and consular premises against any intrusion or damage, said the statement.

Located near Mogadishu international airport, the six-storied targeted luxury hotel, with the front sheared off, used to house foreign embassies and sometimes hosts government high-level meetings.

The Chinese embassy, located on the top two floors of the hotel, had its offices partially damaged in the attack, which was one of the fiercest in Mogadishu and caused panic among hotel staff and local residents.

Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based militant group linked with al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack on pro-militant radio station Andalus shortly after the bombing.

The radical organization said that the attack was to retaliate against the recent operations by African Union (AU) and Somali forces in the southern Somali regions of Dinsoor and Bardhere, and that they targeted the hotel because it houses "Western" embassies coordinating the offensive. Endite