Somalia hotel attack leaves at least 10 dead

Vehicles burn at the scene a bomb attack on an hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia

Gunmen holed up in a central Mogadishu hotel for more than 12 hours killed at least 10 people in the latest attack in Somalia by the Al Qaeda group, the Shabaab.
A huge car bomb that tore the front off the six-storey Ambassador Hotel in the heart of the capital signalled the start of the assault on Wednesday evening, with shooting continuing until Thursday morning when Somalia's security minister declared the attack over.
"All the gunmen were killed by the security forces," said security minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed.
"More than 10 people are so far confirmed dead and many others are wounded," he told reporters, adding that rescuers were searching the badly-damaged building for survivors and bodies.
Medical and security sources said late Wednesday that around 40 people were so far known to be injured.
As Mohamed spoke, the bodies of three suspected attackers were displayed in the dirt outside the hotel.
The Shabaab was quick to claim responsibility for the attack and has regularly in the past targeted hotels popular with government officials and wealthy Somalis.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said two parliamentarians were among the dead.
Witnesses said the initial explosion, believed to be the result of a suicide car bomber ramming a vehicle into the hotel, was large by Mogadishu standards. Smoke rose from burning cars and debris was strewn across Maka Al Mukarama, the capital's usually busy main street.
Mohamed Elmi, who was nearby at the time, said the blast "destroyed the whole area."
An unknown number of gunmen then entered the hotel. Gunfire continued throughout the night and could still be heard by dawn on Thursday.