UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York, USA, June 18, 2019 (Photo: THX / VNA)

Guterres expresses his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the attack and wishes a swift recovery to the injured.  In the statement, the secretary-general reaffirms the UN's support for and solidarity with the Somali people in their pursuit of a peaceful future.

Earlier Friday, armed militants stormed a hotel in the Somalian port city of Kismayo after they rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives at the entrance. The Shabab, an Islamic rebel group with links to Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack, the worst one since 2012 in Kismayo region.