A car bomb exploded at the Cairo Hotel in the central Somali town of Beledweyne on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of at least six people, including two prominent traditional elders, according to witnesses.

The blast targeted the Cairo Hotel, which houses traditional leaders and military officers currently involved in coordinating the government’s offensive against the al-Shabab militant group.

The explosion sparked an intense gunfight as the attackers stormed the hotel, engaging security forces.

“Six people, including two well-known traditional leaders, were killed in the attack,” said Muhsin Abdullahi, a resident who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone. He added that several injured people had been hospitalized.

Images posted on social media showed thick plumes of black smoke rising above the hotel, with the building badly damaged. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, al-Shabab frequently carries out bombings and attacks targeting government officials and military personnel in the Horn of Africa country. The group controls parts of rural Somalia and continues to pose a significant threat despite sustained military operations by Somali government troops and African Union peacekeepers.

Beledweyne, located about 335 km north of the federal capital Mogadishu, is the capital of the Hiran region and a strategic location in Somalia’s ongoing campaign against al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda.

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