Somalia's al Shabaab kill four in attack on hotel in Puntland region - official

BOSASSO, Somalia, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Somalia's al Shabaab militants stormed a hotel in the capital of the semi-autonomous Puntland region, Bosasso, on Wednesday, killing four guards, while two of the attackers also died, a senior official said. Local governor Yusuf Mohamed told the media, "Three Al-Shabaab fighters stormed the International Village Hotel this morning. Four guards and two of the attackers died in the fighting," Yusuf Mohamed, governor of the Bari region, told Reuters news agency. • At least 28 dead in al-Shabaab attack on Mogadishu hotel
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The hotel in the port city of Bosasso, which is also the capital of Bari region, is popular with foreigners. "Fortunately, the attackers did not enter the rooms. The fighting took place inside the compound. A third fighter escaped and we are pursuing him. All the people in the hotel are safe," the governor of Bari region, Yusuf Mohamed was quoted as saying. Al Shabaab regularly launches attacks in Somalia, but tends to focus on the capital Mogadishu and other regions controlled by the federal government. In the past two years, African Union and Somali government forces have forced al Shabaab out of important urban strongholds but it remains active from bases in rural areas.
Unknown gunmen storm a hotel in Bosaso, leaving at least four guards and two militants dead. It is unclear who carried out the attack. An official blames Al-Shabaab, though the group denies having any involvement.