Deaths reported in blast in Somalia capital

At least 10 people have been killed in a suspected suicide car bombing at the gate of a hotel in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, sources tell Al Jazeera.Ambulance sirens and gunfire were heard on Monday near the Jazeera Hotel, frequented by government officials and dignitaries and home to several embassies.

The armed group al-Shabab, which frequently launches bomb and gun attacks against officials and others in Mogadishu in its bid to topple Somalia’s government, claimed responsibility.

“A suicide car bomb exploded at the gate of Jazeera Hotel,” Major Nur Osoble, a police officer, told Reuters news agency.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies