Reuters, Mogadishu :A hotel siege by al Shabaab militants in the Somali capital has ended and the final death toll from the attack stands at 14, a senior government official said on Saturday.Al Shabaab fighters blasted and shot their way into the popular Hotel Maka Al Mukaram on Friday afternoon, trapping many government officials.Security personnel, led by a unit from the elite U.S.-trained special forces troops known as “Gaashaan” (Shield) stormed the hotel on Friday evening and fought the attackers into Saturday.Mohamed Abdi, information minister, said the 14 dead included Somalia’s ambassador to Geneva, five civilians, four hotel guards and four government soldiers. Four attackers, including one who detonated a car bomb, were also killed.
