Al Shabaab attack hotel in Somali port city of Kismayo

People clear debris outside the destroyed Hayat Hotel, days after a deadly siege by al-Shabab extremists, in Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. [AP]

Gunmen stormed a hotel in the center of the Somali port city of Kismayo Sunday, shortly after an explosives-packed car exploded at the hotel's gates, police said.

Officials said gunmen were still inside the Tawakal Hotel and security forces were on the scene. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.