MOGADISHU: Somali forces have ended a siege at a hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, police and the military said on Sunday, adding that they had rescued 106 hostages including women and children.
At least 12 people, mostly civilians, were killed as Somalia's elite armed forces battled Al Qaeda-linked fighters for 30 hours after they blasted and shot their way into the Hayat Hotel on Friday evening.
Dozens of hostages were freed during the course of the siege, a senior police commander said, without providing more details.
Another official had earlier said that mop-up operations were still going on at the building, which suffered extensive damage.
"We are still investigating the explosions of many plastic bags that have been scattered around the hotel," said Mohamed Ali, a military officer at the scene.
The French news agency AFP earlier reported that all the gunmen had been killed, citing a security commander.
Friday's attack was the first such major incident since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May.
The Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Al Shabaab has been fighting to topple the Somali government for more than a decade. It wants to establish its own rule. The Hayat is a hotel popular with lawmakers and other government officials.
Meanwhile, the death toll from a devastating 30-hour siege has climbed to 21, Health Minister Ali Haji Adan said on Sunday, as anxious citizens awaited news of missing relatives. Emergency workers have been trying to clear the debris of a gun and bomb attack by the Al-Qaeda-linked group on the popular Hayat hotel which left parts of the building in ruins, with many feared trapped inside.
"The ministry of health has so far confirmed the deaths of 21 people and 117 people wounded" in the assault that began on Friday evening and lasted over a day, Adan said.
On Sunday morning, the area surrounding the hotel was under tight security, with the roads blocked as emergency workers and bomb disposal experts sought to clear any explosives and remove rubble.
The hotel sustained heavy damage during the gunfight between Somali forces and the insurgents.
Parts of the building collapsed, leaving many people frantically searching for their loved ones who were inside when the attack began.
Police commissioner Abdi Hassan Mohamed Hijar told reporters on Sunday that "106 people including children and women" were rescued during the siege which ended around midnight.
As bullets and flames ripped through the hotel, security forces searched the property to bring civilians to safety, including three young children who hid inside a toilet. - Reuters/AFP
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