MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — 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.

Al-Shabab gunmen have stormed and laid siege to a hotel in central Somalia as government officials and tribal elders met to discuss action against the outfit. The armed group claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack on the Cairo Hotel in the town of Beledweyne in a statement. Several people are reported to have been killed.

The Cairo Hotel houses traditional elders and military officers involved in coordinating the government's offensive against the militant group al-Shabab.

Speaking to reporters, Beledweyne District Commissioner Omar Osman Alasow confirmed that the hotel siege ended early Wednesday. “Our security forces successfully got rid of six militants who attacked a hotel where traditional elders and security officials were meeting,