Somali forces have successfully ended a six-hour siege by militants at a major prison located near the president's office in the capital Mogadishu, killing all seven attackers, the government says.

Authorities said no civilian or security officers were killed in the Saturday attack, which was claimed by the al-Shabab militant group that has in the past staged numerous attacks in Somalia.

The attack came just hours after the federal government lifted several long-standing roadblocks in Mogadishu.

The barriers had been in place for years to safeguard critical government sites but many residents argued that they obstructed traffic and commerce.

Mogadishu had been relatively calm in recent months as government forces, backed by local militias and African Union troops, pushed al-Shabab figh

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