MOGADISHU, March 11 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and several others injured on Tuesday after militant group al-Shabab attacked a hotel in the central Somali city of Beledweyne, a government official confirmed.

Minister for Health and Human Services Ali Haji Adam said the militants attacked the Cairo Hotel, where traditional elders and military officers were meeting for coordinated efforts against al-Shabab insurgents in the region.

According to Adam, a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the hotel entrance, killing at least five people, including two elders attending the meeting. He noted that the elders had been mobilizing forces to reclaim areas in the Hiraan region still under al-Shabab control.

Independent sources suggested the death toll could exceed 10, as militants stormed the hotel and opened fire while the meeting was in progress.

"The suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the hotel where traditional elders were holding a meeting at the time. Then four gunmen entered the hotel and started shooting people inside," a witness told Xinhua, requesting anonymity.

A senior security officer warned that the death toll could rise as the situation remained fluid.

Al-Shabab, which has been waging an insurgency against Somalia's internationally backed government, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said that its fighters had targeted senior officials and elders inside the hotel and had seized a cache of weapons. It also claimed that some people remained trapped inside the building. Enditem

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