Al-Shabab attack kills 15 in Somali hotel

Al-Shabab Islamist militants have attacked a hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing at least 15 people.

According to the police, armed men used two car bombs to blast their way into the Sahafi hotel compound before storming the building.

At least one MP and the owner of the hotel and Gen Abdikarim Dhagabadan, who commanded the operation against al-Shabab in 2011, were among the victims.

A website associated with al-Shabab said it was responsible for the attack, which it said was carried out early in the morning to avoid civilian casualties.
The attack comes a day after deadly clashes between jihadist fighters and African Union (AU) troops in the Bakool region near the border with Ethiopia.

The militants have also targeted neighbouring countries, killing almost 150 people in an assault on Garissa University College in Kenya in April.