Militant group Al-Shabab gunmen have attacked and laid siege to the Cairo Hotel in Beledweyne, central Somalia, targeting a meeting of government officials and tribal elders discussing action against the group.

An al Shabaab attack on a hotel in Beledweyne, Somalia, has resulted in 10 civilian casualties. The militants initiated the assault with a car bomb followed by a siege. Clan elders from Hiran were present discussing countermeasures against al Shabaab,

Al Shabaab militants attacked a hotel in Beledweyne, central Somalia, targeting a meeting of elders and government officials. At least seven people were killed, though the militant group claimed over ten fatalities.

A clan elder in Beledweyne said the hotel meeting was meant to discuss ways of countering al Shabaab in the region.

Somali security forces have ended a deadly 24-hour siege by Islamist fighters who stormed a popular hotel in the central city of Beledweyne, authorities said. The attack by al-Shabab began with a car bomb exploding,

Speaking to reporters, Beledweyne District Commissioner Omar Osman Alasow confirmed that the hotel siege ended early Wednesday. “Our security forces successfully got rid of six militants who attacked a hotel where traditional elders and security officials were meeting,