Capt. Mohamed Hussein says 52 others were injured in the assault that began with a suicide car bomb exploding at the hotel gate. He says some of the victims who suffered horrific wounds died in hospitals.

Islamic extremist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The homegrown extremist group is also announcing that it has killed three Somalis it says collaborated with the CIA and Kenyan and Somali governments.

Pro-al-Shabab websites say the three men were accused of helping in carrying out airstrikes against al-Shabab officials.

The sites say the men were killed in a public square in Yaqbarawe, a town in the southwest. –Abdi Guled