Suspected al-Shabab Militants Attack Mogadishu Hotel

— -- A vehicle packed with explosives detonated outside a popular hotel in Somalia’s capital today, government officials confirmed. The attack in Mogadishu is ongoing, and it’s unclear how many people have been killed or wounded.

“It was a car explosion for the Ambassador Hotel near the highway of Maka Al Mukarama,” Abdikamil Moallim Shukri, spokesman of Somalia’s Ministry of Internal Security, told ABC News. “We cannot conclude the fighting.”

Residents in the sprawling capital reported hearing a loud explosion followed by heavy gunfire, as plumes of thick smoke billowed above the city center.

al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the siege on a website linked to the Somalia-based Islamic militant group, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist publications. Al-Shabab fighters frequently target establishments in the Horn of Africa nation that attract government officials, peacekeepers and foreigners.

Militants on foot tried to force their way into the three-story hotel, where government officials and business executives often stay, after a suicide bomber in a car blew up at the gates, the Associated Press said, which reported at least six killed.

"At least two gunmen are still holed up inside the building now," Somali police Capt. Mohamed Hussein Hussein told AP today.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNISOM) condemned the attack on social media, saying “wanton violence targeting innocent civilians must stop.”

The attack comes just days after a U.S. drone strike targeted a top military commander of al-Shabab in Somalia. The Pentagon told AP today they can't confirm yet if Abdullahi Haji Da'ud was killed.