Mogadishu death toll hits 40 on third day of fighting

[Coeus]

At least 15 people were killed in the Somali capital Mogadishu during the third consecutive day of fighting Tuesday, Radio Garowe reports.

The fighting was between Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam insurgent factions on one side, and troops from the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and African Union (AMISOM) peacekeepers deployed in Mogadishu.

Mogadishu residents say the city’s Bakara Market was heavily shelled, causing most of the civilian deaths. At least 30 people were wounded during Tuesday's clashes, according to medical workers in Mogadishu.

"Many shells hit the market today and I saw 7 dead bodies and 12 wounded persons," said a Bakara merchant named Abdulkadir, adding that businesses were shut down due to the heavy violence.

Since early 2007, when the Islamist insurgency erupted to topple the Western-backed TFG administration in Mogadishu, Bakara Market has been a main headquarters for Somali insurgents.

Other shells hit northern Mogadishu district of Bondhere, which has seen three consecutive days of fighting.

Mogadishu has seen on respite from violence since the outbreak of the Somali civil war in 1991. In early 2007, Somali insurgents began a new violent campaign to overthrow the TFG, creating a new humanitarian crisis and complex security problems including suicide bombings.