Ahmed Abdi, a doctor at Madina Hospital, said the death toll was likely to rise and many victims were in critical condition. Madina is one of the two main hospitals in Mogadishu where most of the victims of the Hayat Hotel attack were admitted.
The hospital is still receiving bodies and more injured people, Abdi said.
Police Commander Farah Hussein confirmed to CNN that Somali security forces had entered the Hayat Hotel building and regained most of the gunmen’s control. The area is frequented by legislators and government officials.
Two security officers, including Mogadishu’s intelligence chief, Muhidin Mohamed, were wounded in the ongoing attack, Dahir said. Details remained murky, however, as the siege continued.
Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its affiliated online sites, saying its fighters managed to occupy the hotel after entering the building. CNN has not independently confirmed the claim. A US airstrike on Sunday killed 13 members of the al-Shabaab group, according to a statement from US Africa Command earlier this week. It is unclear whether Friday’s attack is related to that strike.
In May, US President Joe Biden decided to redeploy troops to Somalia in support of the local government and to counter al-Shabaab. The move reversed former President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw all US troops from the country.
CNN’s Oren Liebermann contributed reporting