Unknown number dead after militant attack on Somalia hotel in Beledweyne

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.

Somali security forces continued efforts to flush out attackers late Tuesday after heavy gunfire. The Cairo Hotel houses traditional elders and military officers involved in coordinating the government's offensive against the militant group al-Shabab.

The al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.

Beledweyne, about 335 km north of the capital, Mogadishu, is the capital of the Hiran region and a strategic location in the ongoing campaign against al-Shabab.

Death tolls varied. Resident Muhsin Abdullahi said six people, including two well-known traditional elders, were killed. But witness Hussein Jeelle Raage said three of his family members were among at least 11 people he knew were dead.

Footage shared on social media showed thick smoke rising from the hotel, with significant destruction to the building.

Al-Shabab, which opposes Somalia's federal government, frequently carries out bombings and assaults targeting government officials and military personnel in the Horn of Africa nation. The group controls parts of rural Somalia and poses a significant threat despite sustained military operations by government troops and African Union peacekeepers.