Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group launched a suicide bomb attack on a hotel in the centre of Mogadishu today before militant fighters stormed the building, a police officer said.
The death toll from the attack on the Nasa Hablood hotel rose to at least 15, a police officer said.
Gunfire echoed around the seaside city after the blast and ambulances raced to the scene.
"We attacked the hotel which was frequented by the apostate government members," al Shabaab military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab said.
Police Major Ali Mohamed said the death toll included guards, civilians and militants.
"The operation has now ended but we are still combing the building for any possible militants who are hiding," he said.
A spokesman for al Shabaab said the death toll was at least 20 guards and civilians. Numbers of casualties cited by the government are often lower than those reported by al Shabaab.
Muslims in Somalia and around the world are observing Ramadan. In previous years, al Shabaab has often intensified attacks during the fasting month, often picking targets where people gather just before or after breaking the fast.
