Several people are feared dead following Tuesday evening Al-Shabaab attack at SYL Hotel near the presidential palace in Mogadishu.
Al-Shabaab militants stormed the hotel at 8 pm local time, dressed in Somali police uniforms before opening fire indiscriminately.
This is not the first time the hotel was under attack. In 2016, the Al-Shabaab militants fired at the hotel, killing 32 people outside.
Zakia Hussein, Somalia's Deputy Police Commissioner, said security forces killed two of the attackers outside the hotel and were fighting two others on the premises.
"So far, security forces have rescued 82 people, both civilians and officials," Zakia said on her Twitter account.
According to the Somalia government, at least five people were killed in the hotel, but the death toll could rise
"The security forces have finally accomplished the operation they have been conducting in SYL hotel, the entire of the 5 attackers have been killed, (and) 5 people have been killed in the attack," government spokesman Ismail Mukhtar tweeted early Wednesday.
The fact that the hotel is located a few meters from the presidential palace, makes it a popular joint for politicians.
Mohamed Malad, an MP in the federal parliament, escaped unhurt by scaling a perimeter wall surrounding the hotel
Abdi-Aziz Abu Mus'ab, the Al-Shabaab spokesman, confirmed the attack, adding that it went on as planned.