At least 12 people were killed in the Somali capital on Sunday after Shebab gunmen used a vehicle packed with explosives to blast their way inside a hotel.
At least 12 people were killed in the Somali capital on Sunday after Shebab gunmen used a vehicle packed with explosives to blast their way inside a hotel, police said.
The Al-Qaeda linked Shebab claimed responsibility for the dawn attack at the Sahafi hotel, which is popular with members of parliament, government employees and businessmen.
"Attackers exploded a car bomb to gain entry before going inside... we have reports of 12 dead," policeman Abdulrahid Dahir said.
Somalia's National and Intelligence Agency declared the attack over several hours after shooting began, although special forces appeared to be carrying out mopping up operations with the Shebab still claiming to have fighters alive inside.
African Union soldiers, battling alongside government troops, also said they had taken control of the building.
Witnesses said they had seen several bodies of people killed in the initial blast, when a minibus packed with explosives was reportedly used to ram the gates of the hotel's fortified compound, which was followed by a second heavy explosion.
Shebab commandos then stormed inside, with witnesses reporting intense gunfire and several loud blasts.
"There was a huge explosion and people around the entrance were killed," said Mohamed Ismael, a witness, who was nearby when the attack began.
Shebab gunmen, who are fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Mogadishu, have carried out a string of attacks on hotels in the capital.
They have frequently used car bombs driven by suicide bombers to break into a complex or a building, with more attackers then following on foot.
Among the dead are reported to be a Somali journalist, colleagues said, as well as a former senior army commander.
UN envoy to Somalia, Nick Kay, condemned the "bloody attack" which he said underlined the need to help support Somalia's security forces in stopping such attacks.
