Wednesday, October 12, 2011
"We have stopped our military advancement for a few days, in order to give residents trapped in the neighbourhoods the chance to evacuate," Somali Lieutenant Colonel Abdulahi Ali Anod told reporters.
"People are now fleeing the area to avoid injury," he added.
African Union and Somali government forces launched assaults on Saturday in northeast Mogadishu, seizing strategic positions from the Al-Qaeda linked insurgents.
Witnesses said residents were packing belongings onto trucks and donkey carts in northern Mogadishu's Suqaholaha district.
"Hundreds of civilians are fleeing -- the situation is calm today so people are getting out during the lull in the fighting," said Abdirisak Mohamud, a resident.
"People are evacuating before it's too late," said Gure Ali, another resident.
The AU-led assault followed the Shebab's worst ever suicide bomb attack last week in Mogadishu, killing at least 82 people and demonstrating they are still able to wreak havoc deep inside the city.
Shebab officials said they were sending fighters from outside Mogadishu to reinforce remaining gunmen still inside the capital.
"Units of the mujahidin fighters are coming towards Mogadishu now to reinforce the war in the city," Shebab spokesman Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Musab said.
"The war will continue, and with God's will, the enemy will fail in their bid to take control of Mogadishu," he added.
Although AU-force commanders say their 9,000-strong force control 95 percent of Mogadishu, it remains overstretched and unable to ensure effective security of the war-ravaged city.
The Shebab had waged a four-year battle in Mogadishu to topple the Somali government before suddenly abandoning the majority of bases in the capital in August.
Analysts said internal dissent, dwindling resources and popular support as well as their failure to dislodge the government forced them to give up the bloody campaign.