Monrovia — Al-Shabaab militants attacked a hotel in central Somalia, as government officials and local elders met there to discuss action against the terrorist group, Al-Jazeera reported. The assailants detonated a car bomb before engaging in a firefight with security forces.

The Islamist group claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it resulted in the deaths of 10 people. The death toll has not been independently verified. A witness reportedly said that many of those the meeting were rescued.

"It will be necessary to bring in forces with heavy weaponry to neutralize the situation," the BBC quoted a Somali lawmaker as saying, as the shootout continued.

Parts of the Cairo Hotel, situated in Beledweyne, near the country's border with Ethiopia, were destroyed.

The Somali government actively battles Al-Shabaab, which uses suicide bombings, assassinations, and ambushes as part of its campaign to establish an Islamic state in the country.