At least 10 people have lost their lives in attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militant group on two hotels in Somalia, police officials say.

Police spokesman Mohamed Hussein said the militants stormed the Siyad and Weheliye hotels in the Somali capital city of Mogadishu on Friday evening, when residents were starting to break their Ramadan fast.

Somalia’s special forces intervened shortly after the raids and engaged in a firefight with the militants, Hussein added, noting that both hotel residents and the gunmen were among the assaults’ fatalities.

He further stated that the attack on the Weheliye hotel ended soon while the Siyad hotel raid lasted more than one hour.

Meanwhile, Hassan Ali, a police commander in Mogadishu, said that Friday’s assaults started with car bombings.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attacks, with its spokesman for military operations, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, saying that their elements broke into the hotels following car bombings.