Al-Shabaab gunmen kill 13 people and injure scores at a hotel siege in Mogadishu

Members of the terrorist group,  Al-Shabaab,  set off an explosion at the popular Ambassador hotel in Mogadishu,  Somalia's capital, on Wednesday. The attack killed at least 13 people, and three of the militants.

The siege began when the gunmen detonated a car packed with explosives at the gates of the hotel building.

The explosion shook nearby offices and injured bystanders in front of the hotel, witnesses said.

According to the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency, one militant died in the initial car bomb attack; the other two were killed by Somali special forces.

At least 40 other people were injured in the attack.

The Somali National News Agency also reports that two Somali lawmakers- Mohamed Mohamud Gurre and Abdullahi Jama- are among the dead.

Soon after the attack, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility via a statement on a website linked to the terrorist group. They claimed that their jihadist fighters detonated a car laden with explosives at the gate, allowing armed militants to enter the building.

The militants aim to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state.

The siege ended early thursday morning.

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