Nine people died in a weekend attack at a hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, and security forces ended the assault by al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab fighters early on Monday, a police spokesman said.
A suicide car bomb exploded early on Sunday evening and was followed by a shootout between al Shabaab militants and security forces at the Hotel Afrik. The fighting lasted into early Monday.
"The operation is over now. Nine people including four attackers died and over 10 civilians were injured. There is no electricity," Sadik Ali, told reporters from the scene and via Facebook.
Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble said in a statement that among those killed was a former military general, Mohamed Nur Galal.