Mogadishu: 21 Killed In 'Worst Battle'Since Ethiopia Pullout
Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:51 pm
Mogadishu: 21 killed in 'worst battle' since Ethiopia pullout
24 Feb 24, 2009 - 11:35:12 AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia Feb 24 (Garowe Online) - At least 21 people were killed and dozens wounded Tuesday in Somalia’s war-torn capital Mogadishu, Radio Garowe reports.
The fighting erupted after African Union (AMISOM) peacekeepers and Somali government forces expanded into several Mogadishu districts under insurgent control, witnesses said.
Fighters loyal to two insurgent groups – Al Shabaab and Party of Islam – took to the streets and sparked “the worst battle since Ethiopian troops left,” according to Radio Garowe’s correspondent in Mogadishu.
Medina Hospital officials said more than 50 wounded people were admitted for treatment, adding that the fighting was still ongoing and more wounded people were expected.
One hospital official told the BBC Somali Service that six victims died at the hospital, bringing the total number of deaths to 21, mostly civilians.
A spokesman for Party of Islam, a recently formed coalition of Islamist rebels, said two fighters were “martyred” during the fighting, where machineguns, rockets and artillery fire was exchanged.
Gen. Yusuf Dhumal, the deputy commander of the Somali national police, told reporters that two police officers were killed and six others wounded during the battle, which continued into the night.
The presidential palace at Villa Somalia was targeted with a number of mortars, as President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed held a security meeting inside, according to local reports.
Civilian homes were caught in the crossfire, becoming unintended targets as the battle raged between the two sides.
Most of Mogadishu's Islamist fighters were reported to be fighting on the same side of the war, dealing a severe blow to President Sheikh Sharif's calls for peace and dialogue with the rebels.
Sheikh Sharif, who was the Islamists' leader in 2006, became Somali President at an election in neighboring Djibouti last month.
Islamist hardliners, including former Sharif ally Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, have rejected the new 'unity government,' whose leadership is dominated by Islamist officials.
The UN-backed 'unity government' is the 15th attempt by the international community to restore order in Somalia.
The 3,500-strong AMISOM peacekeeping force in Mogadishu has been the subject of scrutiny since thousands of Ethiopian troops withdrew after an unpopular, two-year military intervention.
Source: Garowe Online
24 Feb 24, 2009 - 11:35:12 AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia Feb 24 (Garowe Online) - At least 21 people were killed and dozens wounded Tuesday in Somalia’s war-torn capital Mogadishu, Radio Garowe reports.
The fighting erupted after African Union (AMISOM) peacekeepers and Somali government forces expanded into several Mogadishu districts under insurgent control, witnesses said.
Fighters loyal to two insurgent groups – Al Shabaab and Party of Islam – took to the streets and sparked “the worst battle since Ethiopian troops left,” according to Radio Garowe’s correspondent in Mogadishu.
Medina Hospital officials said more than 50 wounded people were admitted for treatment, adding that the fighting was still ongoing and more wounded people were expected.
One hospital official told the BBC Somali Service that six victims died at the hospital, bringing the total number of deaths to 21, mostly civilians.
A spokesman for Party of Islam, a recently formed coalition of Islamist rebels, said two fighters were “martyred” during the fighting, where machineguns, rockets and artillery fire was exchanged.
Gen. Yusuf Dhumal, the deputy commander of the Somali national police, told reporters that two police officers were killed and six others wounded during the battle, which continued into the night.
The presidential palace at Villa Somalia was targeted with a number of mortars, as President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed held a security meeting inside, according to local reports.
Civilian homes were caught in the crossfire, becoming unintended targets as the battle raged between the two sides.
Most of Mogadishu's Islamist fighters were reported to be fighting on the same side of the war, dealing a severe blow to President Sheikh Sharif's calls for peace and dialogue with the rebels.
Sheikh Sharif, who was the Islamists' leader in 2006, became Somali President at an election in neighboring Djibouti last month.
Islamist hardliners, including former Sharif ally Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, have rejected the new 'unity government,' whose leadership is dominated by Islamist officials.
The UN-backed 'unity government' is the 15th attempt by the international community to restore order in Somalia.
The 3,500-strong AMISOM peacekeeping force in Mogadishu has been the subject of scrutiny since thousands of Ethiopian troops withdrew after an unpopular, two-year military intervention.
Source: Garowe Online
