MOGADISHU, Somalia — Islamic extremists blew up the gate of a Somali hotel with a car bomb and took over the building for more than 14 hours, leaving 26 people dead before Somali forces who besieged the hotel overnight killed the attackers.

The victims included prominent Canadian-Somali journalist Hodan Nalayeh.

Three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans and a Briton also were among the dead, said Ahmed Madobe, president of Jubbaland regional state, which controls Kismayo. Fifty-six people, including two Chinese, were injured in the hotel attack, he told reporters.

At least four al-Shabab assailants attacked the Asasey Hotel on Friday, beginning with a suicide car bomb at the entrance gate and followed by an assault by gunmen who stormed the hotel, which is frequented by politicians, patrons and lawmakers.

The attack lasted more than 14 hours before troops shot dead all attackers inside the hotel compound, Col. Abdiqadir Nur, a local police officer, said.

Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaida, often uses car bombs to infiltrate heavily fortified targets like the hotel in Kismayo, which has been relatively quiet in recent years.

The attack is a blow to the Somalia government’s efforts to hold nation-wide, one-person one-vote elections next year.

Security officials cordoned off the site of the attack and prevented journalists from taking photos or video of the damaged hotel.

Armed man dies after attacking immigration center, police say

TACOMA, Wash. — A man armed with a rifle threw incendiary devices at an immigration jail in Washington state early Saturday, then was found dead after four police officers arrived and opened fire, authorities said.

The Tacoma Police Department said the officers responded at about 4 a.m. to the privately run Tacoma Northwest Detention Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security detention facility that holds migrants pending deportation proceedings. The center has also held immigration-seeking parents separated from their children under President Donald Trump's “zero tolerance” policy.

The shooting took place about six hours after a peaceful rally in front of the detention center. Police said the man caused a vehicle to catch fire and that he attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set buildings on fire.

US service member killed

in Afghanistan, military says

KABUL, Afghanistan — An American service member was killed in action in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Saturday without offering details about the service member’s identity or the circumstances surrounding the death.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said the militant group was behind the killing, even as U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been holding talks with the Taliban in recent weeks to try and negotiate an end to the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan.

Mujahed said two U.S. service personnel were killed when Taliban militants attacked a tank in Sayed Abad district of central Wardak province, 40 miles south of Kabul. The discrepancy between the number of fatalities given by the U.S. and the Taliban could not be explained.

New Zealand gun owners turn over their weapons for money

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Dozens of Christchurch gun owners on Saturday handed over their weapons in exchange for money, in the first of more than 250 planned buyback events around New Zealand after the government outlawed many types of semi-automatics.

Police said they paid more than $288,000 to 169 gun owners. The money was paid into the bank accounts of gun owners.

New Zealand lawmakers in April passed legislation to ban so-called military-style weapons after a gunman killed 51 people at two Christchurch mosques in March.

Under an amnesty, gun owners have until December to turn over their now-banned weapons.

Police said at least 14,000 guns around the country are banned under the new legislation.

Pakistani firms on strike over IMF-backed taxes

KARACHI, Pakistan — Hundreds of thousands of Pakistani businesses were on strike Saturday in a nationwide protest against an increased sales tax, which opposition political parties said was imposed as part of the International Monetary Fund’s recent $6 billion bailout package for Islamabad.

The strike was staged at stores, shopping malls and wholesale commodity markets, as well as restaurants and grocers.

In addition to the tax increase, which kicked in July 1, traders are now required to document all substantial transactions as part of a government effort to get a picture of the country’s economy.

Pakistan faces dangerously low foreign reserves, a tax base of barely 1% of its population, crushing trade deficits and a hefty defense budget.

The IMF approved the bailout July 3.

Venezuelan authorities arrest pair of Guaido guards

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan authorities have detained two members of opposition leader Juan Guaido’s security team, keeping pressure on their U.S.-backed adversary even as the two sides hold talks aimed at finding a solution to the country’s political standoff.

The men planned to sell four guns belonging to the state that were allegedly used during Guaido’s failed military rebellion April 30, socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello said Saturday.

Guaido said the allegations were false.

Despite tension over the arrests, there was no indication that plans to resume talks between the government of Nicolas Maduro and the opposition would be disrupted. The sides held discussions on the Caribbean island of Barbados last week, and said they will continue negotiations.

In Malaysia: Searchers found the body of a Dutch hiker Saturday, a day after he was reported missing during flash floods in Mulu National Park.

District fire and rescue chief Law Poh Kiong said the body of Peter Hans Hoverkamp, 66, was found at a river in Deer Cave in northern Sarawak state’s Mulu National Park. Law said rescuers were still searching for local guide Roviezal Robin, who also was washed away Friday. Officials said a heavy downpour forced rescuers to halt their search operation.

Deer Cave is one of the largest cave passages in the world and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. It is one of several limestone caves in the park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.