SW News: Somalian authorities on Sunday confirmed that after 30 hours of vigorous fighting, the military ended a siege by the al Qaeda-linked Shabaab group at a hotel in the country’s capital city.  The siege ended in the death of more than 20 people and left dozens injured.

Ali Haji, the minister for health, informed national broadcaster SNTV that "we have confirmed so far 21 dead people and 117 others injured." The militants took control of the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu on Friday with two car bomb blasts followed by gunshots. The armed forces fought with the militants since Friday evening to free the hotel and the people who were living under threat.

"It is possible there were corpses that were not taken to hospitals but buried by relatives. The death toll and the casualties are based on the figure taken to hospitals," Ali Haji said.

Three militants were shot dead during the fight to end the siege, said Hassan, a police captain who was reluctant in revealing the names of two other deceased militants. Another one was also killed while trying to escape from the military vicinity. The actual number of militants involved in the hotel hostage was unclear, Hassan added.

Around 106 people were freed by the officials from the scene including women and children, said the officials.

"We are still investigating the explosions of many plastic bags that have been scattered around the hotel," said Mohamed Ali, a military officer who was present at the spot.

The al-Qaeda-linked outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack on the hotel. Al Shabab has been battling government troops for more than 10 years to establish control over the Horn of Africa and set up its own government following a stricter version of Islamic law.