The Villa Rose, located near the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu and frequented by lawmakers and police officials, has been captured overnight by Al-Shabaab militants. (AFP citing security agency)
Somali security forces stormed a hotel in the capital late on Monday ending a siege by al Shabaab militants following a nearly day-long battle in which at least nine people were killed, police said.
Gunfire crackled from inside the building as the special forces fought the militants more than 12 hours after the Islamist group stormed the building in the center of Mogadishu.
The assault underscores the continuing ability of the al-Qaeda-allied militants to stage deadly attacks with sometimes high casualties inside the city even as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's government presses an offensive against them.
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The Al Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab, which has been trying to overthrow the central govt in Somalia for 15 years, has intensified attacks under the current admin after it declared all-out war on Islamic extremists.
