Somalia's Syl hotel attacked by al-Shabab fighters in Mogadishu

Somali security forces say they have ended the 12-hour siege of a hotel in the capital Mogadishu by killing all five of the gunmen involved.

Three soldiers were killed and 27 people injured, including three members of parliament and the government spokesperson.

Jihadist group al-Shabab attacked the Syl Hotel, which is popular with government officials on Thursday night.

The Somali government is yet to comment on the ordeal.

The state broadcaster posted on X, formerly known as Twitter and said "security forces have neutralized all terrorists".

At least two separate explosions were reported before the militants stormed the hotel.

It is not clear how the gunmen managed to access the hotel which is near the highly guarded presidential palace.

Al-Shabab said earlier that fighters were in control of the hotel and were shooting "workers and officers of the... government".

Resident Farah Ali, who lives near the president's office, told Reuters: "We first heard a huge blast, and then gunfire followed. We understand the fighters are inside [the hotel] for we hear exchange of gunfire."

"Several gunmen forced their way into the building after destroying the perimeter wall with a heavy explosion," a security officer told AFP.

Hassan Nur, who escaped by scaling a wall, said: "I don't know about the casualties but there were many people inside when the attack started."

Other witnesses reported seeing police arriving within minutes of the attack, which triggered a gun battle with militants.

Attacks had reduced in recent weeks amid heightened security after the government intensified its military offensive against the Islamist group.

Al-Shabab controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.

The group is affiliated to al-Qaeda and has waged a brutal insurgency for nearly 20 years against the UN-backed government in Somalia.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday met defence officials to plan how to reclaim lost territory, Somalia's national news agency Sonna reported.

It is a proscribed terrorist group by countries including the UK and US. The US has intervened militarily to fight against the group.

Its fighters are known for targeting hotels, including the Syl Hotel in 2019.

In 2022, the group stormed the Villa Rays hotel in the capital, killing at least 14 people.

Three years before the storming of the Villa Rays hotel, at least 26 people, including a prominent journalist and several foreigners, were killed in an attack on the Asasey hotel in the port of Kismayo, southern Somalia.