Somali forces end 24-hour siege

Mogadishu: Somali security forces on Wednesday ended a 24-hour siege at a hotel in the central city of Beledwyne, leaving an unknown number of people dead, including all the al-Shabab militants who launched the attack, officials said.

The attack began when a car bomb exploded Tuesday at the Cairo Hotel, which houses traditional elders and military officers involved in coordinating the government’s offensive against al-Shabab.

Estimates of the death toll from the attack varied.