Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The violence came Monday in central Somalia, the BBC reported. Ten others were killed in factional fighting around Mogadishu in the wake of President Abdullahi Yusuf's decision this week to quit his post.
Observers said the violence in central Somalia is coming between a well-known Islamic militant group with alleged ties to al-Qaida called al-Shabab and a previously unknown group of more moderate Islamists called Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca. The latter group has declared a holy war on al-Shabab, blaming it for violence in the country, the BBC said.
Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca seized two towns in central Somalia over the weekend, triggering bloody clashes.
The weak, pro-Western central government controls only certain parts of Mogadishu and the town of Baidoa while various Islamist and nationalist groups control the bulk of Somalia, the BBC said.
Source: UPI, Dec 30, 2008