Al-Shabaab besieges hotel in Somali capital

MOGADISHU - Sporadic explosions and gunfire rang out from a popular hotel in the Somali capital early Friday, an AFP correspondent said, many hours after Al-Shabaab fighters attacked the site near the presidential palace.

The assault late Thursday broke a relative lull in violence by the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group, demonstrating its continued ability to strike despite a major military offensive against the militants.

Armed fighters stormed Mogadishu's SYL hotel -- the target of several previous attacks -- in a hail of bullets at around 9.45pm, with Al-Shabaab claiming responsibility in a brief statement.

"Several gunmen forced their way into the building after destroying the perimeter wall with a heavy explosion," security officer Ahmed Dahir told AFP.

Hours later, it was still not known if there were casualties and there has been no official government statement on the attack which occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses described hearing the assailants shoot indiscriminately.

"I don't know about the casualties but there were many people inside when the attack started," said Hassan Nur who escaped by scaling a wall.

Other witnesses said police officers arrived at the hotel within minutes of the attack, triggering a fierce gun battle.

Abdullahi Hassan, who was at a nearby house, said the officers arrived in multiple vehicles.

"Two ambulances carried wounded people," he said.

The same hotel has been hit by Al-Shabaab deadly attacks several times in the past, most recently in 2019.