At least ten people were confirmed dead on Saturday as security forces battled Islamist militants who stormed a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a security commander said.

Islamic terrorist, Al-Shabab were responsible for the shooting, as they stormed the hotel, detonating two explosives and then went inside and opened fire on the people.

They were reported to be holed up on the top floor of the Hotel Hayat, hours after the attack began, the BBC reports.

“The security forces continued to neutralise terrorists who have been cordoned inside a room in the hotel building, most of the people were rescued but at least eight civilians were confirmed dead so far,” said the official, Mohamed Abdikadir.

Dozens of people have been evacuated from the hotel, as the country’s special police unit stormed the edifice to engage the terrorists in a shootout that left many of them neutralised.

Nine people were injured and carried away from the hotel, the head of Mogadishu’s Aamin ambulance services, Abdikadir Abdirahman told Reuters news agency earlier.