Death toll rises as gun battle rages in Somali capital

A gun battle continues to rage in Mogadishu on Friday between Somali soldiers and al-Shabab fighters, who carried out a daring raid and suicide attack the previous night that left at least 29 people dead.

Heavy gunfire was heard across the Somali capital through the night on Thursday and as dawn broke on Friday.

At least 80 others were injured in the attack on Thursday near Hotel Maka Al-Mukarama and a judge's residence on a busy street in Mogadishu, according to a police commander.

A number of civilians have been rescued from the building, reports say.

There are fears that the death toll will rise further.

Al-Shabab's military spokesman said they still controlled the hotel.

"The government tried three times to enter the building but we repulsed them. We still control the hotel," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabab's military spokesman, told agencies.

Many victims of Thursday's attack suffered horrific injuries and hospitals were said to be struggling to cope with causalities.

The Maka Al-Mukarama hotel is frequently patronized by government officials, and al-Shabab has targeted it multiple times in past attacks that have killed scores of people.

Somalia has been convulsed by lawlessness and violence since 1991 but has stabilized somewhat in recent years.

The Islamist group al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, was forced out of Mogadishu in 2011 but continues to mount regular attacks in the city.

The US has sharply increased its air strikes against the group since President Trump took power.

The US State Department says al-Shabab retains control over large parts of the country and has the ability to carry out high-profile attacks using suicide bombers, explosive devices, mortars, and small arms.

The armed group al-Shabab is fighting to dislodge a Western-backed government protected by African Union-mandated peacekeepers.

The US military command for the African continent reportedly carrying out 50 strikes in Somalia in 2018.

This year, US strikes targeting al-Shabab fighters have come at an even faster pace.

The military command in Africa reported 23 as of Tuesday, including one in central Somalia that killed 20 fighters and another the day before that killed 35.