Mogadishu: At least 15 people were killed by Al-Shabab Islamist militants, who attacked a hotel in Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday.
According to the Somali Police, gunmen used a vehicle packed with explosives to blast their way into the Sahafi hotel compound before storming the building. Victims included at least one Member of Parliament and a General, who led the 2012 offensive that drove Al-Shabab out of Mogadishu.
African Union troops and government forces, however, claimed that they regained control over the hotel after a fierce gun battle.
The attack on the hotel, which is popular among Somali MPs, came a day after deadly clashes between jihadist fighters and African Union (AU) troops in the Bakool region near the border with Ethiopia.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack at the Sahafi hotel. (ANI)