At least 10 people are dead and more than 11 have been wounded in an attack on a popular hotel in Somalia’s capital.
Captain Mohamed Hussein said the death toll could rise.
The al Shabab extremist group has quickly claimed responsibility for the suicide car bomb that detonated outside the Nasa-Hablod hotel, which is frequented by politicians and other members of Mogadishu’s elite.
#Breaking A car bomb has exploded outside a Mogadishu hotel and gunfire has been heard inside, police in Somalia say
— Press Association (@PA) October 28, 2017
The group also claims that its fighters are inside the hotel, where gunfire could still be heard.
The blast comes two weeks after more than 350 people were killed in a massive lorry bombing on a busy Mogadishu street in the country’s worst-ever attack.
Al Shabab often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu.
Since the blast two weeks ago, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has been visiting regional countries to seek more support for the fight against the extremist group.
A 22,000-strong multinational African Union force in Somalia is expected to withdraw its forces and hand over the country’s security to the Somali military by the end of 2020.
The US military also has stepped up military efforts against al Shabab this year in Somalia, carrying out nearly 20 drone strikes.
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