Tuesday, June 29, 2010
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Bloody skirmishes in Somalia show no sign of letting up as reprisal attacks target the capital Mogadishu and the autonomous north, claiming at least 12 lives. Fierce clashes broke out on Monday in the northern neighborhoods of Karan, Shibis, Abdiasis and Bondhere in southern Mogadishu, killing at least seven people, mostly civilians, a Press TV correspondent reported.
According to witnesses, al-Shabab fighters fired mortar shells at a military base housing African Union peacekeepers, prompting the government troops in the area to engage in a gun battle and mortar fire exchange with the militants.
Medics confirmed the casualties, adding that at least 9 civilians were injured in the crossfire.
The fresh wave of violence in the capital comes while the Somali government claimed it has successfully halted the advance of militants in the northern areas of Mogadishu.
Meanwhile, infighting between clans in the semi-autonomous regional state of Puntland in northern Somalia killed at least five people.
Reports said the fighting was triggered by disputes over the grazing lands of the Uur Jire village in Somalia's north-eastern region Kardar.
Source: PressTV