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MOGADISHU. — The death toll from a militant attack yesterday on a hotel in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu has risen to 28, the head of Mogadishu’s ambulance services said. Al Shabaab militants rammed a car bomb into the gate of the hotel before storming inside.“We have confirmed 28 people died and 43 others were injured in the two blasts at the hotel,” Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of the capital’s ambulance services, told Reuters.

Gunfire rang out as fighters entered the Dayah Hotel, which is popular with politicians. A second blast shook the area shortly afterwards, injuring several journalists and others nearby. Colonel Abdiqadir Hussein, a police officer, told Reuters that security forces eventually managed to secure the building.

“We have rescued the people and concluded the operation at Dayah hotel. The security forces are now inside the hotel and we shall give further details of casualties later,” he said.

Duniye Mohamed, a doctor at Madina Hospital, said some of the people taken there were very seriously wounded.

“The preliminary casualty figure is 15 people dead including four security forces and 11 civilians; 51 others were wounded in the two blasts at the hotel,” Security Minister Abdirizak Umar told reporters at the scene.

Reuters pictures showed a huge flame immediately after the blast. Several cars and buildings were destroyed by the explosion. Islamist group al Shabaab, which until 2011 controlled much of Somalia including Mogadishu, claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Well-armed mujahideen (fighters) attacked the hotel and now they are fighting inside the hotel,” said an announcer on Andalus radio, which is linked to al Shabaab.

The insurgents often launch bomb and gun attacks in the capital in their quest to topple the Western-backed government and impose their strict interpretation of Islamic law on the nation.

In the past two years, African Union and Somali forces have driven the group out of key urban strongholds, but it remains active from bases in rural areas. Somalia swore in nearly 300 members of parliament last month. The lawmakers are due to pick the president, but that vote has repeatedly been postponed.

Meanwhile, Kenyan soldiers, who are part of the Africa Union Mission in Somalia, killed seven Al-Shabaab militants in Badhaadhe area of southern Somalia during fighting on Tuesday.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman Col. Paul Njuguna said that during the dawn operation, eight AK 47 rifles and ammunition were captured as well as Al-Shabaab flags, magazines, improvised explosive devices and two bombs.

“KDF soldiers operating under AMISOM, while on routine pacification operations in the general area of Badhaaadhe, successfully launched an offensive operation on Al-Shabaab terrorists who had taken control of a mosque and police station in the area,” Njuguna said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Somalia-based extremist group Al-Shabaab has carried out a series of attacks in Kenya since Kenyan troops launched cross-border operation in southern Somalia in October 2011 to fight the group. — Reuters/Xinhua.