Several dead as al-Shabaab gunmen lay siege to Somali hotel

At least six people died on Tuesday after militants laid siege to a hotel in the central Somalia city of Beledweyne where local elders and government officials had been meeting.

They detonated a car bomb before opening fire as they stormed into the building.

Footage shared on social media showed thick plumes of black smoke rising above the hotel, and significant destruction.

An intense battle with Somali security forces continued into the early afternoon as they tried to flush the gunmen out.

Islamist militant group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack saying they had killed more than 10 people.

Two prominent traditional elders are believed to be among those who died, while several people have been hospitalised.

The elders were part of a group that was meeting with officials to discuss ways of countering al-Shabaab in the region.

The organisation, which has ties to al-Qaeda, has been waging war against the Somali government for more than 16 years.

It frequently carries out bombings and assaults targeting government officials and military personnel.

The group controls parts of rural Somalia and has continued to pose a significant threat despite sustained military operations by Somali government troops and African Union peacekeepers.

Beledweyne, located about 335 kilometres north of the federal capital Mogadishu, is the capital of the Hiran region.

It is a strategic location in the government’s ongoing campaign against al-Shabaab.