Beledweyne: Nine people were killed and more than 10 others were injured in a suicide attack carried out by Al Shabaab movement in central Somalia on Tuesday. The attack targeted a hotel where a meeting was being held to discuss ways to combat the armed activities of the Al Qaeda-linked movement.

According to Qatar News Agency, a security official in the city of Beledweyne, Hiraan province, reported that a suicide bomber drove a minibus loaded with explosives towards the entrance of a hotel, followed by gunmen storming the building and starting to shoot randomly. This resulted in the deaths of nine people and injuries to more than 10 others.

Another security official stated that security forces intervened, surrounded, and killed all the gunmen, after which calm returned to the site. However, the number of attackers who were killed in the incident was not specified.

The targeted hotel was hosting a meeting of security officials and traditional leaders aimed at mobilizing fighters to assist government forces in their ongoing war against the movement, which has been waging war against regular forces for 15 years.