At least seven people were killed after Al Shabab gunmen stormed the Cairo Hotel in Baladweyne, Hiran region.
Tuesday’s attack began with explosions, followed by attackers fighting their way into the building.
Witnesses said the hotel was hosting a meeting aimed at mobilizing Ma’awisley fighters against Al Shabaab.
They said the hotel came under siege as the gunmen took control and started shooting randomly.
Somali security forces ended the siege and killed all attackers during a heavy gun battle.
Among those killed were two elders, Aden Ali and Mohamed Osman, and Major Aden Mohamud.
Among the victims was a man blinded in a previous Al Shabab attack in Beledweyne three years ago this month.
Al Shabab, an Al-Qaeda-linked group, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it had killed 20 people.
The group said four of those killed were key leaders tasked with mobilizing Ma’awisley fighters.
In a statement, the militant group added that African Union troops from Ethiopia and Djibouti joined the battle to end the siege.
Baladweyne, about 335km north of Mogadishu, has been a center of local resistance against Al Shabab.
The ‘Ma’wisley’ uprising successfully drove the group out of Hiran region.
Driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, Al Shabab continues to carry out deadly attacks.
For over a decade, the group has been battling to impose a hardline interpretation of Sharia law in Somalia.
Al Shabab still controls large swaths of southern and central Somalia.
