Armed Islamists have stormed a hotel in the city of Beledweyne in central Somalia, and a siege is ongoing, police and witnesses have said. The attack by al-Shabab began with a car bomb exploding, followed by gunmen entering the hotel,

Security forces in Somalia say they killed all six attackers who laid siege to a hotel in the central town of Beledweyne and later killed at least 50 al-Shabab militants in airstrikes. Speaking to reporters, Beledweyne District Commissioner Omar Osman Alasow confirmed that the hotel siege ended early Wednesday.

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, followed by gunmen entering the hotel, leading to intense clashes with security forces.

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,

Beledweyne, located about 335 kilometers (208 miles) north of Mogadishu, is the capital of the Hiran region and a strategic location in Somalia’s fight against al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked group that remains a major threat despite ongoing military operations by Somali forces and African Union peacekeepers.

A car bomb exploded Tuesday at a hotel in the central Somali city of Beledweyne, kicking off an hourslong militant attack that killed an unknown number of people.