AT least 10 people are dead and more than 11 have been wounded in an attack on a popular hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu. The death toll is expected to rise.
The city was rocked by two explosions in quick succession, just two weeks after a huge bomb killed more than 350 people in the country's worst-ever attack.
The first explosion was reportedly caused by a car bomb being driven into the Nasa-Hablod hotel, which is frequented by politicians and other members of the country's elite, while the second blast took place shortly afterwards, near the former parliament house.
The al-Shabab terrorist group quickly claimed responsibility for the suicide car bomb that detonated outside the hotel. The group also claimed that its fighters were inside the hotel, where gunfire could still be heard.
Major Abdullahi Aden said that militants had also stormed the hotel after the blast.
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 has also stepped up military efforts against al-Shabab this year, carrying out nearly 20 drone strikes.
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