Kismayo, June 22, 2007 – Reports from Somalia say at least six people were killed and several others wounded when two clans clashed near the port city of Kismayo Friday.

Clan leaders and witnesses say soldiers from the Marehan and Majerteen clans exchanged heavy gunfire in an area north of the city.

The reports say the two clans were trying to expel one another from the area.

In the capital, Mogadishu, at least one government soldier was killed and a second wounded when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle.

The government says it will impose a nighttime curfew starting tonight in an effort to curb rampant violence in the city.

The interim government has struggled to establish security in the capital since driving out an Islamist movement late last year with the help of Ethiopian troops.

The government has blamed the violence on Islamist insurgents and terrorists, although clan militias also are believed to be involved.

Somalia has not had an effective central government in 16 years, since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

Source: VOA News