Al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Al-Shabaab, has carried out a car bombing and gun attack at the Nasahablood Hotel, located at the KM4 road area in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. “They started with a suicide bomb and then stormed in,” Major Nur Farah told Reuters. Following the car explosion, a militant blew himself up in the hotel as gunmen stormed the building according to Somali police Capt. Aden Dahir.

At least 15 people have died and 25 others have been injured as a result of Saturday’s car bombing and gun attack, according to Somali police Col. Mohamed Abdulkadir. As many as 11 people mostly “wounded in cross-fire” were evacuated and taken to hospitals, an ambulance driver, Yusuf Ali, reported to CNN. The Islamist militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on Radio Andalus, its main broadcaster.

According to the police most victims were civilians who were near the explosion and customers of the adjoining shops and petrol station. However, the hotel is often visited by Somali government officials, lawmakers and security officers, Dahir said. According to CNN, at least two of the attackers have been killed. “The operation has now ended but we are still combing the building for any possible militants who are hiding,” Major Ali Mohamed said, adding that the death toll included guards, civilians and militants, Reuters reported.

The militants were armed with grenades and machine guns as the police responded and engaged in a gun battle with the gunmen for several hours during the siege, trying to get access to the second floor of the hotel. According to CNN, Somalian security forces fought the gunmen who “took positions behind blast walls and sandbags.”

Three weeks ago, Al-Shabaab took the Ambassador, another Mogadishu hotel, under siege – killing at least 13 people. Three attackers were also killed. The hotel was also frequented by Somali politicians and foreign nationals. As a result, two members of parliament, Mohamed Mohamud Gurre and Abdullahi Jama, were among those killed. A similar incident occurred last year when Al-Shababb attacked the Sahafi Hotel, killing 15 people.

The United States has condemned the attack on the hotel. “We strongly condemn this attack. We remain committed to Somalia’s security and stability, and are proud to stand side-by-side with Somalia in the fight against terrorism,” a US State Department statement said.

According to the CNN, “the militants want to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state.” Similar attacks in Somalia have killed international aid workers, reporters, Somali political leaders and peacekeepers from the African Union.

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