At least 19 killed in Somalia in attack by al-Shabaab insurgents

The killings come two weeks after group besieged a hotel in Mogadishu for 30 hours, leaving 21 dead

Fighters from the Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab have killed at least 19 civilians in a night-time attack in central Somalia, clan chiefs and local officials said on Saturday.

The attack comes two weeks after al-Shabaab, which has waged a long insurgency against the Somali state, besieged a hotel in the capital Mogadishu for 30 hours, leaving 21 people dead and 117 injured.